Lest the Past Haunts Me
by mauigurl808
Summary: The past can be a haunting memory or a terrifying reality. For Kagome, she just wanted to start fresh with her passion for dancing. She was yearning for a life that would mean something to her, but she didn't know she was also yearning for someone to yearn for her. She had to keep her guard up, especially with Inuyasha, lest the past comes back to haunt her.
1. C1- Just Try

**Author's Note** : Aloha everyone! I'm back! Yes, I've been off the grid, dead, fallen off the face of the Earth... what have you. Yes, I know it's been a while since you've seen an update of ANY story from me. But... I am back.

This new story I am writing is one that has been calling out to me for several months and only now I have listened to the characters and put their lives on print. My writing style is a little off, I must admit, but we'll see if I get my flow back.

Anyways... for those of you who are my long time followers... try this story. If you like 'modern-day Inuyasha' than this is right up your alley. It will get a bit... dark, as the characters have been calling out to me to do something dark and dangerous, in the sense of relationships of course. And it will get pretty graphic and M-rated. But right now... well, just read and find out.

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own Inuyasha

* * *

Standing outside of the doors, with one hand on the door handle, she froze. Time stopped as her heart began to pound, the feeling of helplessness and doubt began to creep in, taking control of her body. Kagome stood in front of the Tokyo Dance Academy building, already meeting one of her lifetime goals. She had always wanted to step foot inside this academy with its reputable history of opening the doors to so many famous pop stars in all of Japan. Kagome took a deep breath, calming her mind down. _'I can do this,'_ she repeated to herself, willing herself to open the door.

People walked by behind her in the bustling streets of Tokyo as they all had somewhere to be. But for her, this is where she needed to be. Kagome had gotten a call a week ago from someone who worked for Kikyo Hayashi, Tokyo's biggest pop-star and all the current rage, with even Kagome being one of her fans for the past four years. Kikyo Hayashi was a new star, at the age of 23 making it big with her first debut album that shot to the top of the charts in Japan. Her songs always made the top ten list on iTunes and her albums made the top 5 in sales. Kikyo Hayashi was the talk of the town for the millennials. Kikyo is the same age as Kagome, and ever since Kagome was 20, she had fallen in love with the woman's voice and the way her songs were sometimes personal and meaningful to listeners. Ever since she was young, Kagome had always wanted to dance, and ever since she turned 18 she had become a dancer. She just never made it big enough to be in the spotlight, at least not the one that she wanted to make it in. Now was her chance, and when Kagome got the call last week, she was bouncing off the walls in her little apartment that she had been chosen to audition for the part on Kikyo's dance group.

There was only one opening, an opening that was long overdue. Kikyo Hayashi didn't take on newcomers. She had the same group of dancers for the entire four years as a pop-star. The word on the streets was that she was hard to work with and her choreographer didn't like training new dancers to pick up the slack. Their group was also a tight-nit group, almost like a family. So this one opening for Kikyo's crew was huge to Kagome. And this was her opportunity to make something of herself, to do something that she loves to do but also to fulfill her dream.

With a deep breath, Kagome cleared her mind and focused on the door handle, pulling it open to feel the cold air hit her face with a jolt. She let her eyes adjust as she looked around at the folding chairs set up on one side of the lobby in five rows facing the receptionist behind her desk. Kagome pushed her sunglasses on top her head just as most of the girls turned to look at the newcomer with interest, sizing up their competition. She felt her heart beat loudly, a little uncomfortable in this situation, but knowing that she came here with a mission and she would see it through.

' _There's no turning back now,'_ she thought with a grin.

Kagome walked up towards the woman sitting behind the desk. The lobby was huge, definitely fitting for the reputation that this place held. It had floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides with high ceilings. Only a few paintings hung on the walls behind the receptionist desk and only one door in the middle led to somewhere into the academy building. The receptionist was dressed in a maroon business suit, obviously not a part of Kikyo's group but probably one of the workers of this establishment.

"Good morning," Kagome said in greeting. The woman looked up at her with a mildly entertained look, as if it had already been a long day for her greeting all the women sitting in the rows behind Kagome.

"Morning," the woman said with a smile, trying to seem professional. She took a piece of paper, clipped it onto a clipboard, and placed it in front of Kagome with a pen. "Take this and fill it out, please. This is a liability waiver for the Tokyo Dance Academy."

Kagome thanked the woman and turned around, looking for an empty chair among the rows of eager women waiting to be called. Some of them looked up at her, some with 'You-don't-got-what-it-takes' smirks and some with mild interest, worrying about themselves. Kagome just shrugged off the attention and went to the back of all the rows, heading to the fifth row and finding a chair a few seats in from the end. She began to fill out the form, noticing all the basic information the academy wanted to know in case she injured herself during the audition and wanted to sue the establishment. Kagome filled it out quickly, went back to give her paper to the receptionist, and the woman typed her name into the computer with expert hands. After a few seconds, the woman nodded her head and handed her a square paper with a number and a safety pin, now her "name" during the audition. Kagome thanked her again and went back to her seat when the woman told her to wait until her number was called.

Sliding into her row, Kagome sat down, placing her across-the-shoulder purse onto her lap, and tried to get comfortable among the crowd of eager women. She put on the number the receptionist gave her, safety pinning it to the front of her shirt, and looked around, noticing how some of the girls were sitting down waiting quietly and showing no outward signs of excitement or nervousness. Some girls were standing up near the floor-to-ceiling windows as they stretched their legs and arms, getting ready to be called in. Kagome even noticed a few girls chatting with each other as if they were friends and had gotten the call together. _'Hmmm… I wonder how many girls are here today,'_ she thought to herself.

Today was a big day for her and possibly for all these girls here. She was ready to impress the judges, to hopefully make a name for herself today so she can actually become something. She was dressed much like the girls around her but rather simpler. Kagome wore just black tights with a white workout shorts over it and a navy blue spaghetti strap over her blue Victoria Secret sports bra. She wasn't like most of these girls around her. Many look like models, skinny and ready for the runway. They had their hairs did in all sorts of style and fashion and they wore clothes to impress the judges, from rough-buckled looks to ballerina-ready outfits. There were all sorts of women here, all sorts of ages, and Kagome could only hope that she had a chance in this bunch. So many women for only one slot, but then again, it's not very often that Kikyo Hayashi takes on a new member. The judges had their work cut out for them.

The door behind the receptionist desk opened and all eyes fell on the young man carrying a clipboard. Kagome gasped, just as some of the other girls did, and there were whispers already circulating.

"Numbers 26 to 50!" he exclaimed, looking up from his clipboard as he eyed the waiting room.

' _Miroku!'_ Kagome thought excitedly, her heart racing with anticipation. Miroku Takenaka was one of Kikyo's main dancers. He wore black khaki pants with buckles and chains on the side and a dark green shirt that had the kanji 'hope' on the front in orange. He was second to Kikyo's top dancer and choreographer. If Miroku was here then maybe…

The girls who had their numbers called all began to stand and make their way towards Miroku. He eyed them as much as he could and as they got closer to him, judging them already before they even began their audition. He nodded his head and turned around, expecting the girls to follow him. Kagome watched as the girls filed through the door, some waiting politely and holding open the door as those who were eager and overconfident would push their way through. Kagome shook her head with a roll of her eyes, not liking girls like that, who thought they were the best and looked down upon others. She sighed, clearing her mind and looking down at the number on her top.

' _77'._ She would have to wait a little more until her number was called. She looked around at the other women left and thought maybe she would be the last group after sizing up those left over in the waiting room. A few minutes later, the door opened and girls began to walk out, some smiling and looking accomplished. ' _They must've been the group that went in before the set of girls that were just called,'_ she thought. Kagome watched as they all filed out and headed straight to the exit, now just needing to wait for that one phone call. Kagome noticed the figures and looks of each girl and wondered if she had a chance. Kikyo Hayashi was into fit girls, skinny girls who could relate to most of the younger generations in Japan. Most of the women here were skinny, their culture being catered to skinny people. But Kagome was not quite that skinny, or at least to her she wasn't. Kagome was different from the rest and she loved it, she loved being different and wouldn't have it any other way, no matter how many strange looks she got from people.

Ten minutes went by and Kagome kept checking her time on her phone in her purse. _'How much longer?'_ she thought, just as the door opened and Miroku stood in the doorway again. He looked around the room, sizing up the rest of the women waiting to be called as they all looked up at him. Then, much to Kagome's surprise, Miroku's eyes fell on her, and even across the room as she sat in the last row she could feel him looking into her soul. She suddenly felt exposed, and quickly turned her eyes from him, wondering what it was he saw in her. She was uncomfortable with his stare, uncomfortable in this whole situation, but she would see that it was done. She would not back down from this.

After a few seconds, Miroku finally spoke. "51 to 75!" The designated women all stood and filed to the doorway as Miroku left with the next bunch of girls. Kagome looked back up at the closed door just as the whispering began to dim again. She sighed, wondering what just happened. _'Why was he looking at me?'_ And it wasn't like he just looked at her. He 'looked' at her, as if he knew her, or seen her before, or… Kagome shook her head, not wanting to think of him knowing her. She never seen him before at work so there was nothing to fear. Her nerves were getting the best of her. Kagome groaned softly, wanting her number to be called already so she could get this over with.

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

Inside one of the dance rooms, Miroku took his seat between his best friend and his girl, flopping rather loudly onto the uncomfortable folding chairs that the academy provided today.

"Can you sit any louder?" his best friend asked gruffly.

Miroku looked to his right and smiled, reaching over to place his hand on his friend's shoulder and giving him and little shake. "Come on, Inuyasha… I know you're bored and I'm trying to give you some entertainment," he said with a smirk. Inuyasha looked at him, his golden eyes showing his frustration and irritation, maybe directed at Miroku or maybe directed at the fact that they were here. Miroku didn't know. Sometimes Inuyasha could be an open book and sometimes he could be as secretive as night. But one thing about Inuyasha, Miroku knew, was that he would get bored if something didn't pique his interest fast. Miroku sighed and brought his hand onto the table, fidgeting with the pencil on the clipboard in front of him.

"Well… at least we're almost halfway done with auditions," he said, hoping to lighten the mood. Somehow… it didn't work.

"When you say it that way," Sango said at his left, "it makes it sound even longer." Miroku turned to his left to lay his eyes on his girl. They had been dating now for four years, meeting each other here at the dance academy when they started with Kikyo in her career as a pop star. The three of them: Sango, Inuyasha and himself, all had a history together. When they began this group with Kikyo, Miroku finally asked Sango to be his girl and everything else was history.

"Just don't say anything at all," Inuyasha said, crossing his arms as he leaned back into the chair. Miroku looked between the both of them and shook his head. The group of girls they just auditioned all began to file out of the room as the next group placed their belongings down against the mirrors on the opposite side of the room and began to line up in the middle of the room facing them. Miroku looked ahead at the new faces of women.

"Oh yeah!" Miroku started, now bursting with excitement as he remembered something.

"I thought I told you not to talk," Inuyasha said, arching his eyebrow at his friend as Miroku looked to him with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

"Yeah… but you're not going to believe who I saw outside in the lobby."

Sango chuckled with a shake of her head and pressed play on the iPod in front of her, starting the music in the room and ready to critique the next bunch of girls.

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

Kagome looked down at her phone again. _'It should be almost my time.'_ Her heart began to pound again with anticipation and a little fear. She could handle fear, dealt with it her whole life and knew what it felt like before it came. She knew how to overcome her fear and this was no different. But now, Kagome could feel butterflies in her stomach as this would be her make-or-break, her one chance to have a life that she could be proud of.

Finally, the door opened and Miroku stood in the doorway again, his eyes falling on her immediately as he smiled at her. Kagome blinked, looking away from him, wondering if she was imagining it, but then when she looked back he was still looking at her with a smile. His eyes held a sort of laughter in them, making her wonder what it was he was seeing in her.

Miroku finally broke eye contact with her and looked at the room of girls. "76 to 100!" Kagome stood as all the other girls did, all of them with their numbers safety pinned to the front of their stomachs. She noticed that it was the last of them. Curiously, Kagome wondered if this was the only group of girls that were being seen today. She followed the rest of the girls like a herd of sheep through the door and into a long, beige hallway with doors on both sides that went down the entire hallway. Kagome realized this is where many big-time dancers auditioned and practiced. Tokyo Dance Academy had a high prestige in Japan and was the center point of where amateurs would start their roots and experts would return to practice in their daily lives. It was a privilege alone for her to just step foot in one of these rooms.

' _Wow…'_ Kagome thought as she looked above her and all around her. There were photos along the walls of dancers, from ballet to hip-hop, most of whom she never recognized. She waited until the entire group was a few feet in front of her and then she allowed her feet to move, staying behind the group. Never in her wildest dreams would she think she would be here, in this prestigious place, trying out for a place as a dancer for Tokyo's biggest pop-star. Kagome felt the weight and pressure of this all come crashing down on her suddenly and she kept looking at the photos on both sides of the hallway in awe. _'This is really happening…'_ she thought happily, smiling as she looked ahead at the girls who were now entering one of the rooms. Kagome steeled her nerves and promised herself she would do her best.

Kagome walked in to a huge dance room with floor to ceiling mirrors lining the entire room except the door. She turned to close the door, since she was the last one in, and went towards her group as they started to put their belongings down against the mirrors. Kagome followed suit, taking off her purse and sunglasses and putting them down closest to the door. Some of the previous girls were already grabbing their things and starting towards the door, clearing the dance floor for her group. She turned to face the center of the room and noticed the table set up towards the front of the huge room. The floor was nicely polished and waxed, perfect for dancers. Behind the table sat two people, one male and one female, and Kagome gasped in excitement as she recognized them.

Sango Yamashita and Inuyasha Fujimoto both sat at the table, clearly the judges of today's audition, along with Miroku Takenaka. Kagome's heart began to pound, biting her bottom lip to contain her nerves and excitement, both in a quarrel with each other. She listened as Sango was speaking, critiquing one of the previous girls but giving her pointers and praises on certain things she did. _'Wow… they're critiquing her… I wonder if they've already decided on a couple of girls.'_ Kagome's eyes went to Miroku as he made his way behind the table to take the open seat between Inuyasha and Sango. She watched as Miroku nudged Inuyasha, clearly saying something secretive as he leaned closer to tell him something with a smile on his face. Inuyasha, on the other hand, looked bored like he didn't want to be here. She frowned. _'What's his problem?'_ she wondered. Kagome watched as Miroku leaned away from Inuyasha and both pair of eyes went to her, making her blush and turn her eyes from them. _'What the hell?!'_ Miroku was talking about her! What the hell was he saying about her!

Starting to get a little annoyed that Miroku was obviously eyeing her, she crossed her arms and glared at him. But Miroku had already turned his attention to the girls that were now being dismissed. Inuyasha, however, had his eyes focused on her and she stilled. Their eyes clashed and the first thought she had was how handsome he was. _'Cut it out, Kagome! You're not here to hit on Kikyo's lead dancer!'_ But she couldn't tear her gaze from him, drowning in his gaze. He had such mesmerizing golden eyes. It was something about him that drew her to him, something Kagome was not going to get in to. She tore her gaze from his before she got too caught up in him. Kagome turned and watched as the previous group of girls went for the door while her group began to walk forward to where the previous girls were once standing. Kagome followed suit, walking slowly, aware of Inuyasha and Miroku's gazes on her. She didn't know what it was they saw in her, but she slowly had hope that they were seeing their new dancer. _'A girl can dream…'_ she thought to herself with a smile as she stood in line.

Standing in the third line in the back, Kagome took her place at the end, in front of Sango. She watched as the three judges talked to each other for a bit, and saw as Miroku leaned in to Sango to tell her something in private. Then, Sango's eyes fell on her for just a moment and went back to Miroku. Now, Kagome was sure they were talking about her. And she wanted to know what they were saying. No matter. She would have to bring it. If Miroku saw something in her the first time he saw her in the waiting room, then she would have to prove it to him that she could deliver.

The music began to pump through the room, blaring from the ceilings all around them. Kagome closed her eyes and began to sway, warming up her body and allowing the music to seep into every blood vessel, every cell, until she was one with the music. This was what she did. This was the one thing she knew how to do, and she did it well. Kagome loved to dance. It was second nature to her from breathing and she only hoped that the judges would see how much she loved to dance today. Focusing only on the music, Kagome opened her eyes, gazing at all the girl's reflections ahead in the opposite mirrors. She found herself in the throng of reflections and focused only on her. The music pumped through her veins and their cue was coming up in the next set. They all had to memorize a certain choreography on their own for this audition. It was a number that was for one of Kikyo's songs, so Kagome had fun the whole time learning this number on her free time. And she loved the routine.

As the music cued the girls, they all moved at once. Kagome allowed the music to control her body. She focused only on the song and not what the other girls were doing in front and around her. She was in her world, dancing to the beat of one of Kikyo's songs. She stepped in time to the beat, brought her hands up to her body and smiled ahead at herself in her reflection. She was just having fun, forgetting all about the audition and only about herself and the music. Kagome began to breathe hard as they were three minutes into the song. It was a simple routine, which allowed her to add her own personal touches and moves when there wasn't much to do. Kagome felt sweat dot her forehead and she smiled to herself, feeling like she was on fire. Her body just moved to the beat, flipping her hair back with sexiness, as she paid no attention to the judges. It was just her and the music on the dance floor.

Finally, the music ended and they all stood posed on the final move, Kagome with her arms on her hips and her hair tossed back over her head. The room was quiet, only the sound of soft breathing from the girls could be heard. She dared a glance to Sango and saw the girl smiling at her, nodding her head as they met eye contact, and then Sango looked away. She stole a glance at Miroku, only to see him smiling wide-mouthed at her, making Kagome smile back with a little giggle. Then, she dared to take a look at Inuyasha. When she looked at him, his golden eyes shot right through her. They were intense, he was sitting up in his seat with his elbows on the table and his fingers threaded together. He was staring at her with predatory eyes, like he wanted her. She'd seen that look before, knew what it was like to be a prey caught in a predator's gaze. Kagome felt her heart beat, not from the rush of the dance but from his heated, intense stare.

"Alright, thank you ladies!" Sango said, her voice carrying in the big room as it echoed around them. "Give us a few moments." The group all began to shake out their muscles and relax as they got out of their pose. Kagome ran a hand through her hair as she kicked her legs out in front of her, letting her body relax from that blast of energy. She had so much fun, even though it was an audition. She felt like she was just dancing by herself, for herself, with no one watching. That's what it was like when she danced. The anticipation and nerves only came before the dance, that buildup of intense jitters right before something big was about to happen like dancing in front of people. Once she was on stage though, everything fell away and she only danced like no one was watching, as if it was just her and the music.

' _I hope I did okay…'_ Truth be told, she hoped she was chosen as their next dancer. She wanted to be 'the one'. Kagome clasped her hands in front of her and watched the three judges as they looked back and forth between the girls. Miroku smiled with a shake of his head and shrugged as he looked at the group of women.

"Alright, ladies!" Miroku said, his arms open above his head. "Thanks for coming today. We'll be giving you a call if you made it."

The girls took that as their dismissal and Kagome turned around, a little excited and a little eager to get that phone call. She really wanted to get that phone call tonight, but Miroku wasn't clear with the 'when' part and she didn't blame him. She knew these things took time. Her group was the last group of the day, at least it seemed like it, and Kagome knew that they would all have to come to a mutual agreement, which might take time. She walked back to her belongings and grabbed at her hair, putting her thick mane up in a ponytail as her body was still heated from the dance. She bent and grabbed her sunglasses and placed her purse strap across her shoulder as she turned to the door right next to her. She opened it and walked back down the hallway, looking at the pictures along the wall if that would be the last time she would see them. Kagome bit her bottom lip, suddenly nervous. She knew she would be nervously checking her phone for the next couple of days for that phone call.

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

Inuyasha leaned back into his chair and watched as the door closed behind that woman. _'Kagome Saito…'_ He knew who she was, where she lived, what her hobbies and interests were. Everything all the girls had to fill out prior to the audition was right in front of him, and her application was at the top of the pile. He stretched one leg out underneath the table and grabbed her application with her facial portrait on the front of the paper-clipped stack. Inuyasha stared into her eyes on paper, wondering what it was about her eyes that drew him to her. There was something mysterious about that woman that he wanted to uncover, something that drew him into those blue eyes.

"Earth to Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha snapped out of his thoughts and turned his attention to Miroku. "What?"

Miroku smirked, wiggling his eyebrows knowingly at his friend. "What did I tell ya? Huh? I told you she's good," he bragged.

Sango nodded her agreement, leaning her left elbow on the table and propping her cheek against her palm. She looked at the two men to her side with interest and excitement. "I like her," she said with a smile. "There's something about the way she dances that I haven't seen in any of the girls today."

Miroku nodded. "I agree. She has lots of potential." Miroku turned to look at Sango, his eyes glittering. "I want her."

Sango rolled her eyes and pushed him with her free hand. "You're such a perve." Miroku laughed, just as the last of the group of girls left the room. He had totally forgotten about them once the music had started and he kept his eyes glued on Kagome Saito. She had his full attention and he knew that she was the one he wanted to be in their group.

Miroku grabbed the hand that Sango pushed him with and kissed the back of her hand. "I only have the hots for you, my dear Sango," he said, watching as she succumbed to his words and she smiled at him. "But that woman, Kagome… I want her. I want her in our group." He let go of Sango's hand and turned to Inuyasha. "What do you think, Inuyasha?" He could only hope that the leader of their group would agree with him.

Inuyasha took a breath and looked back down at Kagome's picture in his hand. He ran a hand through his hair, remembering that first moment she walked into the room. The previous group of girls had been standing around getting critiques from Sango, as she always liked to give them pointers to help encourage them. But most of the time, he remained quiet unless he saw potential in someone. And he remembered the moment Kagome walked in. All the girls from the next group came in and he just quickly glanced over them with mild interest. A lot of the girls today either had too much makeup for his taste, like they were going to a fashion show, or they tried overly hard to impress them, like they were entering a Miss Universe contest and wanted to "bring world peace". He was a little irritated so far that these women were all that he got to choose from, and he just wanted to get through this last group of girls before lunch break and then another, hopefully not as depressing, group of girls at 1 o'clock. But then, just as he was about to get comfortable in his chair again to watch with disinterest at the next set of women, a wonderful scent came drifting into the room and Inuyasha was suddenly… intrigued. He glanced towards the door at the last woman that entered and his eyes fell on her: Kagome Saito.

The woman was beautiful, beautifully unique and beautifully herself. She wasn't dressed like the other women, who only wanted to impress, but she was casually dressed for comfort as if she was going to the gym to workout. It was her scent that caught his attention first, the scent of a flower that he couldn't put his finger on, something dark and sultry about her scent that aroused the demon in him. But Inuyasha could only look in awe as her eyes glanced at Sango and Miroku next to him. She had beautiful blue eyes, eyes that looked like the sea. Her skin was fair and she wasn't like the other girls in the room, or any that he had seen today. She had a curvy body, but he could tell that she was fit. The black tights she wore hugged her thick thighs and she had a very nice and firm ass, that he saw when she had closed the door behind her. And even though she wore white workout shorts over her tights, the shorts only helped to accentuate her ass. He thought she would look nice in a skin-tight dress, or even an A-frame dress that flowed past her hips. She did have wide hips and a narrow waist. Of course, he even noticed her full breasts that looked like they could fit perfectly in his hands, as her blue spaghetti strap hugged her body in all the right places. She had a very fit, hourglass figure, and he loved that about her body. Most of the women in Japan were skinny and narrow with nothing to offer a man like him. He liked women with a figure, with meat on their bones, and Kagome Saito was just that woman that piqued his interest, his more than one interest in her.

Inuyasha remembered the way he felt instant electricity when their eyes met for the first time, but she had quickly looked away from him. She was shy, he noticed. Even though he had watched her carry herself as if she was the only one in the room that demanded attention, she was inwardly shy and hid it quite well. He smirked when she averted her gaze from him, finding this a welcomed challenge. But then she looked back at him and he nearly drowned in her blue eyes again. Her eyes, so intensely blue like lightning, locked on to his and he felt lost in her gaze. There was something about her that he could see hiding beneath the exterior that she had, the confidence that her body exuded. Within her eyes, he saw… vulnerability.

Then, Sango started the music and the girls all went to work, trying their best to prove that they could dance for Kikyo Hayashi. It was his job, along with his two trusted coworkers and friends, to pick one girl that would come on in their dance group. There were fourteen of them, with only three as the top dancers in Kikyo's group. Those three were the ones Kikyo left in charge to find the next dancer, something that they haven't done since they started their group four years ago. They were losing one female to pregnancy who would then be a stay-at-home mom. Much to Kikyo's disappointment, she was still happy to see the dancer off with a blessing. But Kikyo was now focused on finding another girl and fast. They had a show in Hawai'i in three months and whoever they brought on would have to learn ALL the routines by then. All fifteen of them in three months. That wasn't an easy task and not any ordinary dancer could pull it off. Whoever they chose, Inuyasha had to be sure that they had the skill and potential of learning quickly and delivering. He was good at reading people, could see their capabilities, their strengths and their weaknesses, which was why Kikyo made him her choreographer and dance leader. That and the fact that he was just a damn good dancer and all of Japan thought so. When he saw Kagome dance, though, it was as if she was alone in her room dancing. He watched as she moved her body to the music, and unlike the other girls in the group, she looked ahead at the mirrors behind him as if she was the only one in the room dancing. The other girls would only focus their attentions on him and the other two seated with him, but Kagome acted as if she was unaware of their presence, or that of the other girls in her group. He could tell that she loved dancing, it was shown in the way she moved, the way she touched herself and the way she smiled as if she was enjoying every second of it. Nothing was forced, nothing was overcompensated and everything that she did came from her passion. He knew the moment she started dancing that he would choose her. There was no question. But he was just confused and interested as to why he made up his mind so quickly and without hesitation. Especially why his demon was so interested in her.

Inuyasha turned towards Miroku and Sango and he eyed Miroku knowingly, nodding his head with a smirk. "Cancel the rest of the appointments…" Sango arched her eyebrow with a smirk, surprised yet agreeing with him, while Miroku just simply laughed and leaned back in his chair, loving that he was right. "I want her," Inuyasha said. And he did. He wanted her… bad.

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

The whole day went by in a blur, too fast for her to even forget about what had happened earlier this morning. Kagome sighed as she knocked on the double doors of Midnite, her pride and joy for the past nine years. Midnite was a high-end, very popular gentlemen's club in Tokyo's Shinjuku District. There weren't many clubs in this district, most of them being in the more younger districts of Tokyo like Shibuya. But Midnite had a very high reputation and fame with the rich and famous, and even with the less wealthy if they were willing to spare a couple month's worth of car and house payments. Midnite was not for the small wallets.

The door opened and Kagome smiled at the brute of a man standing inside the doorway.

"Evening, Jinenji," she said as she walked in, touching his chest.

"Good evening, Kagome."

Jinenji was her own personal bodyguard. He was always around when she was on the floor, always making sure that the clients she had didn't do anything she didn't want them to do or hurt her in any way. He was very gentle with her and very nice to her, much to Kagome's amazement because in the blink of an eye he could change to a whole different person if he felt like her safety was being compromised. Jinenji always wore a black suit with a black tie, much like the rest of the bouncers in the club, and he always had his earpiece on to communicate with the other bouncers. He had emerald green eyes that Kagome loved because they were very loving and gentle, at least when he looked at her. He had one scar above his left eye from a fight he had in the club protecting her from a drunk client.

Kagome walked towards the bar and heard Jinenji lock the doors back up. It wasn't time for them to open yet. Midnite opened at 6pm and closed at 2am, much like any other nightclub. Only this one was different. Midnite was a high-end gentlemen's club, catering to the wealthy with the promise of a relaxing and memorable night. Midnite was owned by Onigumo Matsumoto, a very rich man and a very possessive man. He took care of all his girls but also was very dominating and possessive of them, occasionally stating his ownership of them to remind them as if they had forgotten. Kagome smiled and waved at Hojo, one of their bartenders, as he kept busy getting the bar ready for the night.

"Hey, Hojo!"

Hojo smiled as Kagome passed and waved back with his white rag in hand. "Hey, Kagome! Bring it tonight girl!"

Kagome turned her head and gave him a wink. "Always do, honey."

Making her way down the flight of stairs that separated the bar part of the club to the stage part, Kagome walked towards the opposite end of the club, now looking like a skeleton with no men in sight. It was eerily quiet, much to her disappointment. Kagome liked the club when it was packed and pumping with bodies, men craving for women's attentions and the sound of the DJ playing his music to the beat of the girl's bodies on the main stage. Kagome paid a glance towards the empty main floor as she walked towards the black walls.

Midnite had four different areas. The first was the bar area which was towards the entrance door of the club. The bar was very long but only needing two bartenders, Hojo and Kohaku, both like brothers to her. There were several black, cushioned stools that lined the bar, waiting for men to grace them, while the fully stocked bar shone bright from the white and purple lights behind the bar. The second part of the club was the stage area, which was just a few stairs down from the bar level. This area took up most of the establishment, with tables and chairs setup so that it surrounded a lifted circular platform with a pole that went straight up to the ceiling. Another stage was set at the opposite end of the bar where most of the group dances would take place. The "center stage", as the girls sometimes called it, was only used when a girl had a single or when a gentleman would pay for her to dance solo. Then they would use the pole and put on a show in the center of the room. The third area of the club was the lounge area, just to the right of the stage area and on the same level. If the men wanted to take their girls from the floor to a quieter space, they would walk over to the lounge. The lounge had dark purple couches, velvety soft to the touch, in the little corner below the bar. There were black curtains that blocked the view from the entrance and the bar to the lounge so that the occupants could have some privacy, but also keep watching the show on the stage. The dark purple couches lined the entire area, three long couches altogether, with a few round glass tables in the center for drinks. There always had to be enough space for the girls to do their thing and dance for the men. The last area of the club was the Midnite sky. This was for those who wanted a one-on-one show with their girl but was willing to pay up for it. The Midnite sky was located up a flight of stairs on either side of the stage area. Two stairs went up to two rooms on either side of the club. Whoever wanted a room needed to reserve it before hand, especially with Onigumo's top three girls. But if someone wanted to take a girl in the spur of the moment, if the room was available, they were allowed with a certain high fee. In these rooms, there was a bed, a couch, a table and a platform with a pole in the center of the room so that the man on the bed or couch could watch her dance for him. Each room was equipped with a panic button on the side of the platform and on the wall next to the door should the girl need a bouncer to come in and escort the gentleman out.

Kagome walked towards the left flight of stairs, across of the main entrance, and went towards the hidden door behind the black curtains that lined floor to ceiling along all the walls. Only the working girls knew where the door was to open it. Kagome felt for the small, hidden button down near her hips and pressed, hearing the click as the door swung open.

Kagome made her way into the dressing room and closed the wall behind her. She was immediately welcomed with women's chatter and the smell of all blends of perfume wafting through the air. She had to make a face and scrunch her nose to hold in her sneeze at all the smells.

"Kagome! Kagome!" She turned and saw two of her good friends, good coworkers rather who she considered as the only friends she had. Ayumi and Midoriko were sitting at their chairs, looking at her reflection in the mirrors in front of them.

The dressing room was nothing too fancy. Across the door and to the left were all the women's makeup area. They had their own personal "desk" that consisted of their own vanity with a big mirror, their makeup and other feminine products and their chair. The mirrors were all along the wall from the left to the middle of the room and nine chairs lined the mirrors. In the middle of the room was empty space where the push racks of clothes would hang waiting to be put on by the girls. It was their work area to get ready for the night ahead and to come back to freshen up or change. In the corner to the right was their own personal lockers if they brought in bags of extra clothes or bathing supplies to take a bath before work or after a client. They also had two leather couches near the lockers, one pink and one brown, that they could take a break on whenever they needed. Across the entrance on the locker side were two bathrooms with locked doors for personal space and also another room with just a tub and shower inside. Since this was a high-end club, the girls here only wanted the best of the best. And Onigumo, their boss, knew this and wished to keep them satisfied in order to keep making money off them. So everything in their dressing room were high end, from the marble vanities and bathroom sinks to the jacuzzi jet tub and the walk-in ceiling shower. Everything in the dressing room was to pamper and cater to the dancers before, during and after their work. For they knew what was expected of them and Onigumo expected no less. He expected hard work and lots of cash by the end of the night.

"Midoriko, Ayumi… you two look like you're ready to go," Kagome commented, noticing their finishing touches on their faces. Midoriko was a cat demon, the only youkai dancer in Midnite. She was very beautiful with green eyes and dark green hair that went down to her knees. Her hair flowed like water and today Kagome noticed that she was curling the ends of them. Midoriko's stage name was _Mystique_. She acted very mysterious and she was very seductive but classy. She was what dancers would call "The Professional". Ayumi was another "Professional". Her stage name was _Aurora_ because she had short white hair that went to her shoulders and beautiful white eyes to match. Tonight Kagome saw that Ayumi curled her hair just like Midoriko. The two of them were in on it. Ayumi was a half-demon, as was evident in her eyes and hair color, but she had no special powers or attributes. It was only physical, and Ayumi loved that she could still be considered 'human' except for her eyes and hair. Kagome, Midoriko and Ayumi were close, much like friends. Although they didn't hang out every day outside of work, they still were close even outside of Midnite. They were good friends and they were Onigumo's three shinning stars of Midnite. He always called them that, to remind them how important they were to him and that they were his greatest income. The three of them were his pride and joys, but Kagome was his "hidden pearl", his "secret gem", the "sapphire of Midnite". Onigumo had an affinity for her, he was very possessive of her, more so than the other girls, but Kagome was used to his touches and attention. He never did anything that crossed the line and if she told him to stop, he would obey. He showed her what a true gentlemen was, what a gentlemen at their club should be to her. And if she wasn't getting that kind of respect from a client she was to report it to him or Jinenji. Kagome was his everything to him.

Ayumi smiled at Kagome, her brilliant white teeth standing out against the red lipstick she wore. "I'm not ready just yet… and it looks like you need to get in on the memo."

Kagome arched her eyebrow with a giggle. "I didn't get no memo," she said, dropping into her chair as her illuminated figure from the bright lights above the mirrors shone back at her. "No one told me we were curling our hair tonight." She fingered her hair, looking at her reflection. She loved her hair, loved the color of it. Her stage name fit her perfectly: _Sapphire._ Her hair was dyed from black to a sapphire blue that started at random lengths to the ends. She loved the color sapphire, the deep depths of the sea, that deep blue that changed color in the sunlight and moonlight. Much like her eyes. Her mother always commented on how her eyes were odd and freaky as none of their family members had blue eyes. She was the exception, the regressive genes, the odd child- as her mother would say. Her deep blue eyes could be as bright as the sky or as dark as the ocean depending on her mood and feelings. Her eyes were the windows into her soul, as her mother called them, and it was her downfall in the past.

"Well we're telling you now!"

Midoriko's voice snapped her out of her thoughts as Kagome blinked and turned to smile over her shoulder at Midoriko who had her head tilted slightly as she continued to curl the ends of her hair.

Kagome huffed, reaching into her white purse at her hip. She checked the time on her phone. 5:40pm. "I won't have time to curl my hair," she said regretfully. "But I have enough curls."

Ayumi turned to her with a clap of her hands. "Yes! Your hair is naturally wavy and if you just put on your hair oil they will be as curly as ours. Now go take a quick shower."

Kagome shook her head with a chuckle, loving Ayumi for her attitude and bossy nature. "Yes, ma'am." She put her purse on her desk and got up, walking over to her locker to get her bathing supplies and towel. More girls began to walk in for the start of their night, chatter and laughter beginning to swallow up the dressing room. She went into the shower room and locked the door behind her, hanging her towel up on one of the gold hooks along the wall outside the shower. As she stripped and got into the walk-in shower, she thought about her hair. She needed to bathe quickly so she could get ready in time. Onigumo didn't like tardiness, but she didn't need lots of time to get ready. All that she wore on her face were lipstick with eyeliner and mascara to bring out her eyes even more. She didn't like wearing makeup but the girls got her to agree on wearing just those three to help accentuate what she already has, or so they said. Kagome had to admit that she did look hot in eyeliner and mascara as the black made her blue eyes look like smoky blue, especially in the dark lighting of Midnite. She looked… alluring.

Kagome sighed as the warm water hit her body and she made quick work with her bath. She was a little sweaty from the walk over and so she was grateful for the quick shower. As she rinsed her hair with water she remembered of what her mother thought of her hair. Her mother would always grumble about how curly Kagome's hair would be. Unlike her mother's naturally straight hair, much like other Japanese women, Kagome's hair was wavy and on some days when she styled it right, it was loosely curled. Her mother hated it, thought it was a nuisance to have to comb through all the curls that would get caught in the comb. Her mother had no patience for it, so Kagome learned how to take care of her own hair and style it so that her mother wouldn't get too frustrated it. Kagome frowned, remembering her childhood, and had to stop herself before she got too caught up in her past. Her work was not a place to remember the past. She had to put on her facade, her alter ego, and become _Sapphire_. She loved her alter ego as it matched well with who she was on the inside and who she wanted to be if she could escape this life she lived.

Turning off the water, Kagome dried herself off and stepped out of the shower onto the plush rug. She went to the huge bathroom sink with a mirror on the entire wall above the marble sink. She looked at her reflection and smiled at herself, thinking about tonight's dances and what dance she was in the mood for tonight. After today's performance at the Tokyo Dance Academy, she felt like she wanted to dance for herself tonight. Her body was still pumped that she was even chosen to audition. _'Yes… I'll dance my favorite number tonight.'_ Kagome nodded to herself and turned to grab her dirty clothes and walked out to get ready.

By the time Kagome walked out into the dressing room it was chaos. The sound of chatter and laughter filled the air and the smells of all sorts of perfumes that blended together made her noise cringe again. This was one thing that she would never get used to. She was only wearing her Victoria Secret bra and panty, both dark blue, as she walked out with her towel and clothes to place back in her locker.

"Well, well, if it isn't Sapphire."

Kagome turned and noticed Kagura, one of the top girls in the club, placing her belongings in her locker across of Kagome's. Kagome smiled at Kagura who just turned her head and closed her locker.

"Jewels," she acknowledged with little care.

The golden rule of Midnite is to never use a girl's real name while they were working on the premises. None of the customers were to ever find out about their real names as it could ruin their lives outside of work. They worked in a dangerous business, one where crazy and psycho men could and would follow a girl home after the club closes and even stalk them for days. One of their girls found out the hard way after she was raped and murdered by a client she had at Midnite who found out her name and address. This was their absolute law to protect their privacy and possibly their lives. When the girls were alone, they would slip back to their names, but in this case, especially with Kagura, Kagome could care less what Kagura called her.

Kagura turned around, she too wearing only her nude underwear, and eyed Kagome's back. "You seem in a good mood. What gives?"

Kagome smiled to herself as she placed her things in her locker and shut the door. Kagura wasn't one of her friends here but she was a coworker and they had their differences. "I had a job interview today," she said, turning around to see Kagura with her arms crossed under her breasts. Kagura's stage name was _Jewels_ because of her huge breasts which she loved to use to her advantage. She was never ashamed of them and loved to flaunt them, a lot. So the name _Jewels_ fit her just well. That and the fact that she is very high maintenance and thinks she deserves only the best of the best.

Kagura arched her eyebrow, her face already painted with color to her liking. "Interview? You planning on leaving Midnite?" she asked with a little attitude.

"Who's leaving?"

At the sound of a male voice, Kagome turned to see Onigumo coming over to the two of them, his male presence dominating the feminine atmosphere. Onigumo came from a rich family and had power to his name. But it was also his looks that gave him power and dominion over women. Kagome never had a thing for him, but she had to give it to him that he was good-looking. Onigumo wore a tux, as he did every night, but this tux was light grey with a white tie on a white shirt. His shoes were polished black and his short dark brown hair was gelled into smooth locks a woman would want to run her hands through. He had dark blue-green eyes that usually was the first thing to steal a woman's heart.

Kagome smiled at him in greeting. "No one. I just did my job interview today." None of the women were shy around him as he was their boss and he did pop in to their dressing room time and again to check on them. So modesty went out the window with Onigumo.

Onigumo smiled at Kagome and went over to her, wrapping a hand around her naked waist and kissing the top of her hair. "You're not planning on leaving me… are you, Kagome?" he purred.

Kagome stiffened in his arms. She heard the warning in Onigumo's voice as it dropped a little lower. Onigumo was always nice to them but at times he could be demanding, mean and very dominating. He always got what he wanted and Kagome was told countless times by him that Onigumo wanted her, if not her body then he would have her to work for him. It was the least she could do for him after all he did for her- at least that's what he always reminded her.

"No… never, Onigumo," Kagome whispered, looking up at his blue-green eyes. She watched as he waited a heartbeat, taking her words to heart, and he smiled at her his beaming smile.

"Good girl." Onigumo released her and Kagome took a step around him, needing to get away from him and also wanting to get to work. She could always escape from her problems in her job.

Kagome walked into the open space in the middle of the room where racks of clothes were wheeled and locked into place for the girls. Many of the girls would share clothes but the top girls: Kagome, Ayumi and Midoriko, would have their own sets of clothes that no one could use. It was theirs, bought only for them by Onigumo, and everyone knew it was off limits.

"What are you going to wear tonight, Sapphire?" Ayumi asked, coming up beside her. Kagome turned and smiled at Ayumi's look. She always picked the same color but then again, that was her persona. Sapphire, Aurora and Mystique all had their own personas that they worked by and was very comfortable with, but it also came with a look. Kagome loved her look.

Kagome shrugged and pushed through the racks of clothes, finding her section and browsing through what she was in the mood to wear. "I don't know… I think I want something leather."

"Oooo… that means Kagome's going to do her favorite number tonight," Midoriko said, coming up between the two girls. Kagome nodded her head with a smile as she stopped at one of her leather outfits. The outfit was a rich blue leather jumpsuit, which to most of the girls here was a little dull and unsexy to them, but for Kagome she could pull it off as sultry and sexy. She had the curves that men would desire and with her ass, thighs and breasts, she could always make something so simple and unattractive to something hot and sexy. That was one reason why she loved her body. Yes, she struggled at times to fit in with other women and the sizes of clothing in Japan, but she always embraced her curves. The leather jumpsuit matched her eyes, which was what Onigumo went for when it came to his best girls. The jumpsuit went down to her ankles but on the outside of her thighs were cuts in the material to create a design that looked like strips of fabric were taken out horizontally down from her thighs to her ankles. This allowed more skin to show and for the clients to touch. The top was what would draw most of the attention, besides the outfit fitting skin-tight and showing off her curves. The front was a scoop neck that revealed her cleavage and had a zipper to hold her girls up but traveled down to her navel. The jumpsuit went over both shoulders like a tank top but at the back it was bare, leaving her back exposed all the way down to just above her butt-crack. Even though the outfit seemed like just a jumpsuit, it was meant to allure the clients, to show them her curves and her skin, which was what men wanted.

"I'm going to get ready." Kagome turned and walked past the giggling Ayumi and Midoriko as she went back to her locker. She needed to get her pasties so she could go braless and then finish with her hair. She noticed Kagura and Onigumo were having some sort of heated discussion, at least for her it was getting heated while Onigumo just stood there like a statue listening to Kagura rant. Kagome smiled and shook her head, walking between the two to grab the things she needed from her locker and heading into one of the bathrooms.

The bathrooms were just like the bathing room. It was huge for just one stall but it was the vanity that the girls needed the most. The huge mirror over the marble countertop illuminated with the bright lights that lined the top of the mirror. Kagome took off her bra and began to shimmy into the tight jumpsuit. It was always difficult to get into leather but she loved the feel of the smooth material once she got it on. It made her feel tight, clung to her skin and so… sexy. As she got the jumpsuit up to her waist, she put on her nude pasties and checked out her breasts in the mirror. _'Hmmm… you girls better stay locked away tonight,'_ she said, talking to her breasts as if they would listen to her. Kagome smiled to herself and pulled the straps over her shoulders, zipping up the front of the jumpsuit and finishing up her look. She looked… hot! Kagome smirked, her eyes glowing in the mirror as she turned to look at herself from the side and the back. There was a deep yearning in her gut, a hot desire that always came on right before she became Sapphire. This was what she needed to turn into the persona for the night, this passion that swept through her and Kagome was gone, only to be replaced by Sapphire, for only eight hours. _'Let's have some fun tonight.'_

Kagome walked out of the bathroom and noticed that most of the girls had left, which meant it was opening time. She went back to her vanity to check herself in the mirror and quickly put on her eyeliner and mascara. In the mirror, she noticed Onigumo coming up behind her, his big figure looming in the back of her. She was bending over the counter, putting on her eyeliner, her mouth open just a little out of habit.

"You look gorgeous," Onigumo said, his eyes raking her figure from head to toe, stopping at her ass a little longer than necessary. She glanced at him, batting her eyes to set the makeup, and watched as he checked her out.

"Thanks, love." Kagome went back to her other eye and finished with the mascara. After she nodded her approval, she reached for her dark blue lipstick and puckered up. "What you got for me tonight?" she asked, wondering what her lineup would be.

Onigumo looked at Kagome as she focused on her lipstick. "You have three men tonight. One of them is a CEO of a company in Osaka. He will be your first client and will be coming with two of his friends that I have placed with Aurora and Mystique. The second is a president of one of Tokyo's restaurants. The third is the president of a computer software company." Kagome listened but cared little about who they were outside of this establishment. When they came in, they were simply just a man that needed certain needs taken cared of, and she provided for their needs. Of course, Kagome had rules that her men would follow and she was very strict on them, demanded them even from Onigumo, and he upheld her rules with strict discipline.

"And they know?" she asked. She always had to ask, not only to make sure Onigumo remembered but also to help satisfy her need to set the record.

Onigumo nodded with a smile. "They know." He watched as she straightened up, closing up her lipstick, but he only had eyes for her ass. She had a nice ass. Kagome turned around and walked up to him just as two of the girls were leaving the dressing room. He reached out to her and grabbed her by the neck, stroking her cheek with his thumb. "You are the hottest woman alive."

Kagome smiled and placed her hands on his chest, straightening out his tie. "Thanks, love. Now let me have some fun." She walked away from him, going to the rack of shoes to grab her black stilettos and then made her way to the door. Onigumo held it open for her and Kagome smiled at him before walking out.

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

The music was pumping as she walked through the door and noticed that the club just opened. Thankfully, the walls were all soundproof which meant the dressing room and all the Midnite sky rooms were soundproof so that no one could hear inside or out. The DJ had already started his mix, a slow and sultry song by Beyoncé, and there were only three men inside for now. Most of the women were hounding them already, wanting to be their girl for the night.

Kagome smiled and moved towards the bar, feeling sexy in her leather jumpsuit. Ayumi and Midoriko were already standing at the bar, gaining the attention that their outfits called for.

"Hey. You guys heard about your lineup yet?," Kagome asked, noticing that there were seven girls working tonight. She counted the girls as three of them had been claimed by the men who walked in and now they were on the stage area sitting together and getting to know one another. Hojo came up to her with two glass cups, starting to make a drink.

"Damn girl… you look sexy tonight," he said with a wink, shaking the cocktail shaker up and down. He quickly poured out the martini into the glasses and nodded his head to someone behind her.

Akitoki, a human bouncer, came up right next to Kagome and grabbed the two drinks. "Evening, Sapphire." Kagome turned and smiled at him.

"Hi, Akitoki. You look handsome as ever." Akitoki was the only human bouncer in the club but he was strong for a human. He always said he worked out every day and taught kickboxing at the gym too. He was fit like the rest of the bouncers here and they all needed fighting courses especially in this job field.

"Thanks, Sapphire. You always are hitting on me you know," he said with a wink as he turned with the drinks in hand.

Kagome shrugged with an arch eyebrow. "I like what I see, that's all."

Akitoki chuckled and shook his head. He took his leave and went to deliver the two drinks to the two that just sat at the table on the stage area.

Kagome glanced around at the club, the sound of the music pumping through her veins. She propped herself onto a barstool and leaned back against the bar, looking out at the three couples that were now on the stage area. Someone would have to take the stage soon to give these paying customers a show.

"Onigumo told me I have five clients tonight," Midoriko said, her voice catching Kagome's attention. "But I only have one in the sky."

Kagome turned to look at the girl, her green eyes shining with mischief and anticipation. She smiled. "You always put on a good show in the sky." "The sky" was their term for the private rooms upstairs. Kagome never cared for those rooms, she would rather be out in the club with her client where she knew her client couldn't cross any limits with her and there would be people around to witness. There was something about the sky that just made her a little uncomfortable, only a little, but it was just the fact that she was in that person's control only for the time they spent in the sky.

"I have two tonight. But Onigumo said they paid for a few hours with me," Ayumi said with a grin. "I must be special." She giggled and glanced up as Hiten made his way towards them at the bar. Hiten was Ayumi's bodyguard when she was with a client. The three of them had their personal bodyguards who would work when they did and would be in the club somewhere watching them until they were with a client. Once the girls were with a client, their bodyguards would be close by, in their line of sight, so that if anything went wrong or the girls felt uncomfortable, all they had to do was look up at their bodyguard and he would stop their transaction for the night. Of course, money was still paid before the men had the girls, so they still got their payments.

"Aurora," Hiten said, extending his hand to her. Hiten was a thunder demon and Onigumo had hired him and his brother, Manten, to work for him after a night he watched them beat the crap out of a guy who had stolen Hiten's motorcycle. After witnessing their bloodlust and strength, Onigumo hired them as his bouncers and reigned them in a bit on their violence. "You have a client." Kagome looked up at his red eyes, his cheeks bearing purple thunder marks on both sides and his long, black hair braided- his usual look.

Ayumi looked between Midoriko and Kagome, smiling at them both with glee. "Wish me luck, girls."

"Luck you don't need," Midoriko said with a roll of her eyes. Kagome smiled at Ayumi's back as she took Hiten's hand and he led her to her awaiting client. The club was illuminated with the colorful lights and one of Kagome's favorite songs came on, "Who's Got You?" by Kikyo Hayashi.

Kagome found her body moving a bit on the chair as she let the music fill her blood.

"Here you two go," Hojo said. Kagome turned to see a martini glass was placed behind her. It was her favorite drink: a lemon drop martini, of course Hojo knew. She grabbed the stem with a smile at him and turned back around to look out at the club. Licking the rim of sugar first, Kagome took a sip and let the sugary, yet burning drink go down her throat.

"So…" Midoriko said, sitting down next to her. She wore a black lace bustier that pushed up her breasts, covering her whole torso and went down to her dark green lace panty. She had a matching dark green garter belt that connect to her black, sheer thigh highs. The girl always dressed with little clothes. She was comfortable in her own skin as most of the girls in here were. "How did it go today?"

Kagome put her drink on the counter and looked next to her, running her fingers through her hair. "It went well, I think." Midoriko was the one who had encouraged, no, nearly nagged at her, to audition for Kikyo's group. She and Ayumi knew about Kagome's dreams to be more than just a dancer in a club. She wanted to be on a dance crew, going places and making something of herself. She wanted to make it big, or at least as big as she could go without drawing too much attention to herself. "I think… they liked me?"

"Is that a question or a statement?" Midoriko asked, taking a sip of her vodka martini.

Kagome shrugged and sighed. "I don't know… I don't want to get my hopes up, you know? But I think they were watching me… I mean literally, watching me. I caught them staring at me a few times."

"Who's they?" Midoriko asked, now intrigued that they were focusing on Kagome during the audition. That's a good sign.

"Sango, Miroku and Inuyasha. They wer-"

"Wait! Hold up!" Midoriko held her hand up to silence her. "Inuyasha was there?!" Inuyasha was famous and he was definitely the photo that most women would pleasure themselves to. He was definitely someone all women wanted to be under.

Kagome laughed, playing with her hair. She noticed Jinenji walking towards them and knew her time was coming up. "Yes, Inuyasha was there."

"What the hell, Sapphire?! Why didn't you tell me this earlier?!"

Kagome turned to look at her with a crazed look. "Why? Not like you could've done anything to him to begin with?"

Midoriko blew out and turned her nose up into the air. "As if… I would've at least given my number for you to give to him."

"Honey, I have your number," she said, watching as Midoriko turned to her with a pout. Kagome laughed just as Jinenji came up to the both of them and extended his hand out to her.

"Sapphire, you have a client," he said, his green eyes glowing with mischief but his whole body was poised and ready to take on any threats.

Kagome turned to Midoriko with a wink. "And besides… he seemed pretty interested in me already," she said with a tease. With that, Kagome left the shocked Midoriko behind laughing to herself, as she grabbed Jinenji's hand and let him lead her to her awaiting client. _'As if he was interested in me.'_ How could someone like Inuyasha Fujimoto really be interested in her? He was famous in Tokyo, in all of Japan, and someone like him would be off limits to someone like her.

Kagome let Jinenji lead her to wherever it was her client waited, which apparently was at the lounge. She noticed that a few men were sitting there with some of the girls, some who had come in without her noticing them. The lights were flashing all around in the club but in the lounge, the curtains on all three sides helped to make it a little bit more private and darker. There were purple and white lights at the top but they were dimmed to help keep the mood going. Kagome took in the lonely man who sat dressed in a dark blue suit with a light blue tie against his white inner shirt. He looked young, maybe middle thirties, and he was clean shaven with a nice, short haircut. His eyes were dark and his facial features were very manly, a masculine jawline that all women would drool over. Kagome smiled as his eyes met contact with her and she began to feel that pull towards him, the one she had when she met with her clients. It was all about him. She was only living and breathing in this moment for him. Whatever he wanted her to do, she would do it for him, so long as he kept to her rule too.

Jinenji led Kagome forward with a release of her hand and went to stand near the entrance into the lounge, making sure he was within eyesight of Kagome should she need him.

Taking a deep breath, Kagome licked her lips and closed the last few steps between him and her. "Hello…" she said softly, stopping right in front of him. His legs were crossed, one leg on top of his other knee, as he sat comfortably reclined in the plush couch. She noticed how he let his eyes graze every inch of her body, slowly from her feet to her eyes, and then she noticed his approving smile.

"Like what you see?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips and biting her bottom lip. Slowly, the man stood up and she had to look up at him. He was taller than she thought. He towered over her and had a great physique to go with the whole package, or at least the package that she could see.

"Yes," he said, his voice booming even with the music, "I love what I see." He slowly reached out and Kagome's eyes went straight to his right hand moving towards her.

"Don't worry, Sapphire," he said, his eyes lighting up with warmth, "I know the rules." His hand went to her left hand, his fingers grazing her own as if he feared touching her but holding back the desire to, and she smiled up at him. She walked up towards him and brought her body flush against him. She felt the man's arousal, getting butterflies in her stomach. When she felt a man's arousal she always felt a surge of power flow through her, a sense of dominancy and control. That was what she loved about this job. She had control over these men. She could make them do anything she wanted them to with just the promise of being totally theirs for tonight. She could break their control that easily, by just a graze of her fingers, and they were under her spell. That complete control she had over these men is what Kagome loved and sometimes craved like a drug.

"And your name?" she inquired, even though most of the time the men would not use their real names, or else their nightly secrets might be exposed to the world and ruin their reputations. He smiled down at her, his handsome features very striking in the dim light above them.

"Call me, Sai."

"Well, Sai…" Kagome said with a smile, reaching up to grab at the lapels of his jacket. She ran her fingers along the seams and then placed her hands on his chest. "I'm all yours." She pushed him back, much to his surprise, and he fell back onto the couch. Sai chuckled, straightening out his jacket as his eyes were wild on her. Obviously she had fed his arousal.

Kagome went to his left, avoiding the huge invitation that he opened to her with his legs spread wide apart, and put one knee on the couch next to him while her left swung over his left leg. Sai had opened up his arms but rested them on the back of the couch, submitting himself to her with a satisfied smirk. Kagome licked her lips, feeling so very sexy at how in control she was of him.

"You are not to touch me," she said, leaning closer to his left ear. "Am I understood?"

Sai smiled, his cheek hitting hers and he nodded. "Sapphire… I have paid a fortune for a few hours with you. Why would I want to lose my money by something that stupid?"

Moving back, she smirked at him. "Honey… you will be begging to touch me before the end of your night here." Sai quirked his eyebrow, clearly taking on the challenge, and leaned his head back, enjoying the beginning of their night together. That's all these men wanted. They just wanted to be with a woman, if not physically then at least have them listen to their problems and their life history for a night. They just wanted to be heard, sometimes leaving their wives to come here because their wives wouldn't hear them out.

Kagome had to move a little more onto his body, placing her hands on his chest, to be able to lean into the crook of his neck. He was tall and his body was longer than hers. She noticed that as she leaned into him, he had titled his head all the way back, moaning just a little. "Now… tell me why you paid so much of your hard earned money for me." She smelled him, and he smelled like the rest: all rich and full of lies. His cologne was strong but it was musky and a little woodsy. He must have women dying over him. She smiled to herself and allowed her body to take control. Though she had no feelings for him, it was her desire to please him, her desire to give him what he needed in this moment that allowed her to be so close to him like this. To give him herself.

Sai sighed, but Kagome couldn't see his face, still faced up at the ceiling. "My father is wanting me to make a merger with a company that I despise."

And there it was. The reason why he, like most of them, came here tonight. He wanted someone who would listen to him. If his father wouldn't, then she would.

"Tell me," she said, moving back so that she could look at him. His dark eyes were on her now, clinging to hers as he drowned in her eyes. He was silent for a long time, just the music playing in the background and the two of them moving so subtly against each other as they breathed.

"Has anyone ever told you that you are so beautiful?" he asked her, and it made her heart soften. Kagome smiled, deeply touched at his words.

"Many have told me I'm beautiful, honey. But you just reminded me that I am tonight. Thank you."

Sai licked his lips and nodded, "You're welcome." He moved then, bringing his hands up. "I need a drink. You're making me… hot."

She giggled and moved off him, looking down at the bulge in his pants where he was straining to be let free. He moved to lean back, now with his drink in hand, and took a sip. She watched as he drank, really drinking in how handsome he was. If she wasn't so independent and dignified, she might have slept with him. And many other men who had walked in here and shown her a good time.

"Didn't mean to," she teased.

Sai laughed them, a deep rumble in his chest as he gazed at her. "Sure you didn't." He took another sip and then rested the glass on his right leg, moving his left arm up and around her to rest on the couch again. "Now… where was I?"

She took the invitation and moved into him, getting comfortable against his side beneath his arm. He felt safe in this moment for her. "You were telling me about your father not listening to you."

"Is that what I said?"

"No." She touched her index finger to his chin, making him look at her. "But that's what I heard. I'm very good at listening, even when you try to hide the truth… Sai."

He laughed again and she wondered if he knew that she knew his name was false. It didn't matter, but she giggled with him.

"Clever little bluebird." Kagome's smile faded away but she didn't take her attention off him. "Yes, my father doesn't listen to me. He wants me to take over his company soon, as he wants to retire and give me the reigns. But he wants me to do everything his way. I mean, how does he expect me to rule my own company if I have to do things dictated to me by my father?"

She could feel his anger in his words and his body got tense. She stroked at his chest and let her finger play along his neck in little patterns. "Have you told your father this?"

He chuckled. "I think not." He paused to take another sip, his eyes never leaving her. "If I told him, he would probably throw this huge fit to get me to realize how fortunate I am to have all of this," he said, opening his arms to encompass the lounge, "and that it was he who provided it for me on a silver platter."

She smiled up at him. "Well, maybe not. If he does love you, he will hear you out. You can't just assume that he's going to throw your words under the rug and not hear you out." Sai quieted but held a small smile on his face, listening to her words, so she continued. "To have amassed such a huge empire for you, he has to have excellent communication skills and he must understand the importance of considering everyone's ideas besides his own." Sai never said a word, he just stared at her, and so she continued even more. "If I were you… I would just try. You never know until you try and life is too short to pass up an opportunity."

The music blared in the background and a couple walked past them at the corner of her eye, but Kagome could only stare at Sai. He was quiet, his eyes focused on her but his face was soft. She didn't know if he was hearing her or just thinking she was a hot piece of ass that he wanted. After a few beats, she couldn't take the quiet and so she moved away from him enough to reach up and place her left hand on his cheek.

"Say something, honey," she encouraged.

Sai smiled, shaking his head. "Like what?" His hand on his drink tightened, his fingers turning white. "I want to touch you so bad, Sapphire," he whispered, making her smile. She got that a lot, but there was nothing she could give him but a smile and a change of topic. They knew the rules. No touching. They could only touch her arms, but nothing more. They knew what they were getting themselves into when they paid for her company but that was the price the men were willing to pay for her.

"Sai… how about we go out to the dance floor?" she said, changing the topic so that he wouldn't get upset or offended.

Just as Kagome was about to shift, he moved his left hand and grabbed her hand that had just left his cheek. She looked down at his hand holding hers and he placed hers against his chest. She gazed up at him in wonder.

"How is it that men don't give up their entire world for you?" he asked, bewildered.

She smiled with a laugh. "Many have, honestly."

"Is that so? Well, they must not have had much to offer."

Kagome shook her head. "No, honey… they had a lot to offer… and so much to lose," she said softly, letting her facade slip.

That had Sai's attention immediately and he squeezed her hand tighter. "You are worth the risk."

Her eyes flew to him and she slipped easily back into Sapphire. "Let's just have fun tonight, you and I. I am here only to please you." _'Damn… he's really getting to me,'_ she thought. Sai was a sweet man. He was probably single, which was why he was aroused so quickly. He wasn't getting laid. But then the fact that he was so aroused easily and he had such a nice personality is the most evidence she got that he was probably single and waiting for someone to capture his heart. She totally was not that girl. And it was obvious he wanted to get to know her as if they were sitting inside a coffee shop talking about the weather.

Sai frowned, but let his grip on her hand go so that she could run her hand along his chest. "You are a mystery."

"I am yours."

Sai smiled. He finally nodded and then leaned back, taking another sip. His eyes suddenly looked up and he tensed, making her turn to see Jinenji standing right in front of them. She smiled up at him but he didn't smile back, keeping on his badboy look while working.

"Sapphire, your number is coming up."

She smiled. "Please tell Hakaru I won't be doing one tonight." Jinenji nodded, not asking for an explanation. Kagome smiled and turned her attention back to Sai as Jinenji walked away.

"Your number?" Sai asked, intrigued as to why they were bothered. He looked at her expectantly, noticing the way her blue hair fell along her face, framing her beautiful, deep blue eyes. In the darkness of the club, Sai was sure her eyes were as dark as the deep, blue sea. He fell in love with her eyes and he was already smitten at her kindness. She wasn't like any of the other girls he's met at any club, any gentlemen's club or anywhere on the streets in his entire life. He had never met anyone like her. This woman was pure, that he could tell, and she didn't seem to care about anyone else but him right in this very moment.

She smiled, her eyes shining with delight. "I was supposed to do my favorite dance tonight."

Sai's eyes widened, "A dance?" She nodded at him. "Why don't you?" He wouldn't mind watching her dance. Heck, he would pay to watch her dance if he had to.

Kagome reached up and placed her hand on his cheek again, rubbing her palm along his smooth jawline. He had recently shaved and she could smell his aftershave as she brought her head in, making his mouth slack open as she noticed his breathing accelerate. Her body was flush against his and she moved as his chest moved up and down. She brought her head to his ear, avoiding his opened lips.

"I'm having a wonderful time with you. You make me… feel." She couldn't tell him anymore, that she enjoyed his company, that she appreciated his sincerity and his willingness to open up about his feelings, that she wanted to spend the rest of the night here in his arms. Some of the clients she had were real jerks, only wanting to watch her dance or for her to touch them. Most of them came in here knowing that they could get whatever they wanted from her because they paid for it, and there were a few who would break her rules and she had to call for Jinenji. But then there were those few, like Sai, who were a real gentleman and made her wonder what happened in their life that would cause them to come to a gentlemen's club seeking solace. _'Hmph… they're just as screwed up as I am.'_ She had no right to question why they were here anymore than they had a right to ask her the same thing. But in this moment, nothing else mattered but being here in Sai's arms. It was times like this where she dared to make herself believe that she might find a man like Sai, who would look at her like he was, as if she was the only thing in this world that mattered to him.

If only for the moment.

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

Kagome sighed as she combed out her hair. _'I need a bath.'_ She stared at herself in her mirror, her reflection at the end of the night always hitting her right in the gut. She looked at herself, sitting down in her chair, staring at her faraway eyes, as if she wasn't there at all. Truth be told, she was exhausted. After work, she was always emotionally drained. Physically, she had spent the night dancing with and for her clients, all three of them. The first, the CEO Sai, he was a real charmer and Kagome really enjoyed the few hours that they had together. He kept his distance and was true to her rules but it didn't stop him from telling her how much he _wanted_ to touch her, to hold her, and after he got a bit more comfortable due to the alcohol, to make love to her. He was sweet, the sweetest man she had tonight. The other two were just here for themselves, as most of them usually were. One man was a restaurant owner and he obviously was used to barking orders because that's all he did with her. He wanted her to touch him everywhere, although when it came to his junk she had to object after the few times she had managed to do so but she was getting a bit uncomfortable doing it. She only had to glance over at Jinenji once before he came over quickly, leaning in so that her client could hear him over the music, but Jinenji wasn't one to yell. He made his point without raising his voice or telling anyone twice. After Jinenji had his 'talk' with her client, things went a little more smoothly after that, or at least she didn't have to stroke his junk anymore. Then, her last client, the computer geek, was just that. Of course, he wanted to watch her dance and most of the hours he remained silent, his eyes calculating and analyzing all that her body had to offer him, but he said very little. Which made it a boring night for her.

Kagome sighed, again. _'Look at yourself, Sapphire… what am I going to do with you?'_ she thought to herself. It was always at the end of a night that she really began to rethink her life and where she was going. _'Nowhere.'_

"How was your night, Kagome?" Looking behind her reflection in the mirror, Kagome caught eyes with Ayumi as the girl walked in from the club.

"Boring. Weird. Yet… enjoyable," she said with a smile, looking back at herself. Thinking about Sai brought a smile to her face.

Ayumi, of course, caught notice of it. "Enjoyable? Which one?" she asked, now interested as she went to her chair next to Kagome's and her figure was illuminated by the bright lights of their vanities. Ayumi began to take off her stilettos as she turned her swiveled chair to face Kagome.

"My first client… he made me feel special."

Ayumi smiled knowingly and rose her eyebrows. "I know, honey. I love the ones who do."

Kagome nodded and leaned back, turning just her head to look at her friend. "It's hard to not fall for them… I mean they have it all…" She turned to look at herself in the mirror, her eyes dark and filled with fear. "They can provide security and money. They throw themselves at my feet and will do anything I ask of them. They promise me a better life outside of this place if I would just be with them…" Her voice trailed off as she thought of the many men who came into Midnite with promises of a brighter future from this dark establishment.

Ayumi frowned, noticing Kagome going off into her mind again. They were friends outside of work, the two of them and Midoriko. They hung out and chatted about things outside of work, about their personal lives and their dreams. But Kagome always held back when it came to her childhood and her past. She never really told them where she came from, where her parents were and what brought her to Tokyo to begin with. She was very secretive when it came to her past, but Ayumi always respected Kagome's privacy. It was their job to be secretive, it was their only way of living, to hide who they were from others.

"Kagome…" Ayumi called, snapping the girl out of her thoughts. Kagome turned to look at her, her blue eyes clouded with memories that Ayumi knew nothing about. "Let's not talk about this here." Even though they were in the dressing room and they were officially "off", Midnite was not a place you wanted to spill your secrets in, especially with the women they worked with. There were eyes and ears all over the building, even though Onigumo didn't keep videocameras in their dressing room. All the girls knew that while they were on Midnite property, they needed to watch what they said on the premises.

"Let's talk about this tomorrow. You wanna go to Shinjuku Gyoen tomorrow morning?"

Kagome smiled and nodded, feeling suddenly very tired and wanting to go home as soon as possible. "Yes. Thanks, Ayumi." The girl smiled and nodded back.

"Of course. It's been a long night," Ayumi said, turning her chair back to face her mirror as she dropped her stilettos. "Let's go home."

Kagome sighed, again. She was tired. It was a long night, now being 1am. The girls were done by 1am even though the club closed at 2am. The music still went on and last call wasn't until 1:30am, but Onigumo still kept it open in case there were a few drunks who needed a cab or needed to be woken up.

Taking a look at herself, Kagome grimaced. She needed to take her makeup off, or the little that she had on. Her lips were still dark blue as she had to touch up throughout the night, but it was her eyes that caught her. Her eyes were dark, the eyeliner and mascara holding true to its waterproof abilities, but she looked even more tired than she felt with her dark eyes. Her eyes were a deep blue because of the eyeliner and Kagome just wanted to take off her makeup before she headed on home.

Grabbing the cotton swabs and some makeup remover, Kagome went to work as the door opened and more of the girls walked in. With her one eye open, she noticed Midoriko and Kagura walk in talking to one another.

Kagura laughed as she began to undo her bun, heading over to her chair. "You should've seen the look on his face when Manten told him to get out." Kagura laughed, making Kagome stop and look at Midoriko in the mirror.

"Who's face?" she asked, curious just as Ayumi was as the both of them looked between Midoriko and Kagura.

Midoriko's eyes fell on her and she smiled softly. "Apparently a man came in asking to see you." Kagome's eyes widened and she straightened up, giving Midoriko her full attention.

"Who?"

"What does it matter?" Kagura asked, making Kagome turn to see her sitting on her chair, not even turning to look at them. "It's not like you're going home with him anyways." Kagura then turned and smirked at Kagome haughtily. "I would definitely take him home and have my way with him for the rest of the night." Kagura hummed to herself and clearly dismissed them as she continued to unravel the pins from her hair.

Kagome shook her head at Kagura's arrogance and attitude. She focused back on Midoriko as she sat next to Ayumi and began to take off her makeup. "Who was it?"

Midoriko shrugged, dabbing at the makeup remover. "I think he was your first client tonight. I remember seeing you two together when I walked into the lounge with my client. But Manten told Jinenji so I'm pretty sure he's going to be walking you home tonight."

Kagome took a deep breath and turned to look at her forgotten cotton swab in her hand. _'Sai…'_ She inwardly groaned at the fact that he had returned. It meant that he had feelings for her, that he wanted to see her again, and probably would because he could pay to see her again. But whenever things like this happened, like clients coming back after their appointments, or when the girls felt unsafe because of a client during the night, one of the bouncers or the girl's personal bodyguards would walk them home. Thankfully, Kagome lived close by so she didn't have to worry too much about walking alone for long on those nights when she did walk home alone. But most of the time, Jinenji would walk her home because he insisted and wanted to keep her safe. She appreciated him all the more for his care and thoughtfulness, even though he insisted it had nothing to do with it being his job to walk her home. He did it because he wanted to.

"Great," she grumbled to herself, taking another cotton swab and going through the routine. She didn't mind Jinenji walking her home. She just hoped that nothing would happen to the both of them on their way there, and especially not to Sai who was so nice to her the whole night. Jinenji was only a half-demon but he certainly could pull his own weight when it came to a fight. He had the strength of bulls and Kagome was confident in his abilities to protect her. It was just that she worried about him putting his life on the line for her. But as Onigumo would remind her, it was his job.

Kagome took a deep breath and threw her dirty cotton swabs away, looking at herself in the mirror. She looked fine for now. At least her eyes didn't look so dark and dreary. With a quick look around at her desk, Kagome grabbed her phone and her over-the-shoulder purse.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow, then," she said, standing up to smile farewell at her friends.

Midoriko turned to smile at her. "Good night, Kagome."

"I'll see you tomorrow. 10?" Ayumi asked, her eyes hopeful.

Kagome smiled with a shake of her head. "Ten." Ayumi never got up early, whether she worked the whole night or not. She loved to sleep in and let the sun and the heat of the day wake her up naturally. Kagome waved at the two, skipping her farewell to Kagura and the rest of the girls, and she made her way out into the club.

The music had stopped and it was eerily quiet after the life the club just had an hour ago. It was a little after 1am and the club was empty except for the workers. The lights were on in the entire club now to help the cleanup go efficiently. Hakaru, Hojo and Kohaku were all putting the chairs up onto the tables for the night. Midnite was a very clean and classy gentlemen's club and Onigumo took pride in that. He never let any of his bartenders or security team go home until the entire club had been cleaned and the 'sky' was disinfected and cleaned as well. Most of them didn't mind though. Hiten and Manten especially loved to work throughout the night as they liked to sleep in throughout the day anyways.

Kagome walked through the club waving at the others as she passed them by, telling everyone good night. Tomorrow was another day and she would be back again. She made her way towards the bar where Hojo was now running to, coming up behind her with a broom in his hand.

"Good night, Kagome!" he said, confirming to her that he knew she had a good night.

Kagome glanced at him with a smile. "Yeah. At least my first one was."

Hojo smiled and the two of them stopped at the bar where he had stacks of money rolled up in the crystal tumblers lined up along the bar. Each stack was for each girl. As it was with most club dancers, they were paid cash upfront so that there could be no trail back to the girl. That was what Kagome loved the most about working here. She had privacy, privacy from the emperor and from society who might want to dig into her records only to find… nothing. Since her 'paycheck' was paid upfront, she only had to worry about her medical which Onigumo had helped her with. Most of the girls, however, had a second job that would help them with medical insurance or give them a steady income should they choose to move on from this lifestyle, while some were still college students looking to make an extra buck.

Hojo placed the rolled up cash in front of her face, holding it between his index and middle fingers. "Girl… you and I should runaway together," he said with a tease, his smile clearly giving away that he knew she banked tonight.

Kagome laughed, grabbing the money and reaching to grab his chin with her left hand, giving his head a little shake. "Hojo… you wouldn't want to be stuck with me on a desert island if the world came to an end and we were the only male and female left alive."

Hojo's eyes widened a fraction. "Really? You're that bad, huh?" She nodded and released his chin, smiling with a nod.

"Good night, Hojo."

"Good night, Kagome."

She walked away from him, hoping that he didn't take offense to that, but it was the truth. She sighed and looked down at the money rolled in a rubberband. It felt big and she thought back to Sai. Perhaps he had tipped well. _'Hmmm… must be several thousand.'_ She smiled gratefully and placed it into her purse.

Looking up, she noticed Jinenji at the exit as she got closer to the door. She smiled up at him, noticing the way he had changed his demeanor again. He was always softer with her when it was only the two of them and there were no clients in the club. He seemed to relax more when he didn't have to have his guard up all the time.

"Kagome… you ready to go?" Jinenji asked, watching as she walked right up to him. He smiled at her, seeing the fatigue in her eyes. Jinenji felt a deep desire to protect her, and every time at the end of the night when she would go home and he saw her like this, so exhausted, Jinenji felt the desire even more. He wanted to protect her from the world when she looked like this. Kagome looked… vulnerable.

Kagome nodded as Jinenji moved aside to let her through the door. Stepping out into the street, she opened her purse to reach in and grab her phone. She had forgotten to check it earlier just in case she had any miss calls. Kagome grabbed her phone and brought the screen to life. _'Hmmm'_ she thought, seeing that she had a missed call and a voicemail. She put in her passcode and went to her voicemail, listening to the message that she had received at 6:02pm.

" _Evening, Kagome. My name is Miroku Takenaka."_ Kagome's footsteps faltered and she jerked to a stop, her whole body frozen as her wide eyes glued to the sidewalk. _"I wanted to thank you for your performance today at the academy. We really enjoyed your dance style and the way you move. Give me a call back. I have a proposal for you if you are still interested in a position on Kikyo's dance team. We would love to have you. Call me back as soon as you can. Let's set up a time to meet tomorrow so we can talk in person and get the ball rolling. Good night."_

The recording of her cell phone came on, asking her if she wanted to replay the message or delete it. But all Kagome could do was bring her hand up to her mouth as her eyes looked up to see Jinenji staring at her worriedly.

' _Holy shit!'_ she thought excitedly, trying to contain her sudden desire to bounce around in a circle. _'I got the part!'_

* * *

 **Author's Note:** So what did you think? Let me know! I love your reviews. It encourages me to write more but also steps up my game for any improvements that I need on my part. I hope you come on this new journey with me :)


	2. C2- Sign Me Up

**Author's Note:** Hi everyone! Sorry it took me so long to update this story. I find myself battling with these characters every day. They speak to me, then they go away. My idea for this story keeps changing so that's probably why my characters are not speaking to me that often. But they were during this past week so I whipped up this chapter before they had a chance to protest. Anyways, I hope you guys like it.

Another thing to note... I am not an expert when it comes to knowing all there is to know about a dancer's lifestyle and what it's like to dance for a superstar and all the behind-the-scenes that goes on at a concert. But I will try my best to learn more while the characters have already told me all the hard work that it takes to be in their position.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy. Merry Christmas!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha :) But I still love it after all these years.

* * *

The sun began to touch the sky, causing a soft pink and purple against the darkness of the night. It was still early. The birds haven't yet started their morning songs even though cars still drove around with their headlights on.

A figure stirred in the bed, moving the comforter back as she stretched out to grab her phone to check the time. 4:04am.

Kagome groaned. _'Two hours.'_ She was only asleep for about two hours. Usually when she had to work, she would normally get up around 8am because by the time she got back home and took a bath and was able to settle down in bed, she was usually asleep by 2am. But now she remembered why she was up so early. _'I have a meeting with Kikyo.'_ That snapped her out of her sleepy haze and Kagome stretched under the covers, feeling she should just get up since she had an important day.

Pushing the comforter back, Kagome slid out of bed, planting her feet on the hardwood floor and began to make her way to the bathroom. Her little apartment was comfortable and homey for her. She loved neutral colors but she also loved blue sapphire. Her queen-sized bed was covered with a sapphire sheet and her comforter was a tri-color blue pattern of sapphire, indigo and sky blue that blended together in transitions. Her pillows were a stark contrast of salmon orange as she wanted her bed to remind her of the sea, the orange being either the sunset on the water or the sand on the shore. Whatever her mood was as she went to bed, it reminded her somehow of the sea.

Kagome yawned and flicked on the light to her small living room. Her apartment was small, smaller than her friends' for sure. Her friends preferred to live in big-upscale homes. Literally, a house with multiple rooms and bathrooms and even pools. But Kagome preferred the smaller, more quieter homes in the sense of space and comfort. Maybe it was because of the way she grew up or maybe it was just that she wanted to save her money for more important reasons. But she always liked where she lived and how she lived. She had no problem when her friends would always comment on how she needed to find a new place, somewhere safer at least. But quite frankly, Kagome had no problems with her neighbors or her neighborhood. Her neighbors were friendly, most of them being the elderly. And for the others, they were middle-aged singles who she rarely saw during the daytime since they were usually off to work by morning. The neighborhood she lived in, in Shinjuku District, Kagome had to say wasn't the best neighborhood to live in in all of Tokyo. But it was a five minute walk from Midnite and Onigumo got her this place nine years ago, so she has had no problems with it.

The walls of her apartment were a grayish-blue, and depending on the time of the day, the colors of the walls will either be more grey or more blue at different times from the sunlight. Her bedroom could be closed off from the living room by a shoji screen. When it was just her, she would leave the shoji open all day long. But when visitors came, she would slide the three panels closed so that her guests wouldn't have to see her private area. Plus, the couch sat opposite of her bedroom and faced the shoji, so everyone would see her room if she kept the shoji opened. Her 24-inch flatscreen TV sat on a small stand in the corner where the shoji panels were pulled back with a few books in the cubbyhole. The couch was indigo to help add color to the living room and the two throw pillows were the same salmon as her bed pillows. There was a glass table in front of the couch that was low enough to eat while sitting on the floor. In the corners of the wall alongside her couch were potted fern plants to help bring a little nature into her apartment. She loved nature.

Kagome yawned as she walked past her kitchen. The kitchen area was small, just enough for her to move around and even dance a little bit while she waited for her meals to cook. The kitchen remained on the other side of the wall of her bedroom. And there was a short extension from the wall that acted like a bar. She had two barstools on the outside of the kitchen where people, and she, would sit and eat or watch her cook and talk story. Ayumi mentioned that she loved watching Kagome cook so she had bought her these two barstools. Of course she had them match her blue theme as they were sky blue, and Ayumi would just sit there watching Kagome cook and the two would catch up on events.

She walked through the living room and towards her bathroom. The one thing she thought strange about this apartment is how she had a hollow wall behind her couch, and on the other side of the wall was her bathroom. She opened the bathroom door and walked into the short hallway until the bathroom opens up. She had a tub with a shower and that was one thing she really wanted and would've bought if this place didn't come with it. A tub. She loves to soak in the water with epsom salt and lavender essential oil and relax, especially after working out or long nights at work and she couldn't sleep. It was her favorite thing to do. Kagome yawned and did her business.

She thought about her day ahead. The reason why she woke was because of the meeting that she would have today. Well, first she had to call Miroku to setup the meeting since she had checked her voicemail at 1am and wasn't about to call him back at that time. But she was already super excited and super grateful that she got a callback. Her! Kagome smiled, sitting on the toilet. _'I can't believe I got chosen.'_ It really was her dream come true. She always wanted to dance, professionally, ever since she was young. Dancing was her way to forget about her present worries and situations. Dancing was her way of shutting out the world and it was just her and the music, as if nothing else mattered. In that moment, while she felt the music like the blood pumping through her veins, nothing else really did matter.

Once she was done with her business, Kagome washed her face and went into her kitchen to make her morning coffee and toast. She always had her morning routine: coffee and toast. She loved to eat something small right in the morning and just sit outside on her small balcony to watch the sun rise above the buildings and skyscrapers in Tokyo. Or on the mornings when she was able to sleep in, she would just watch the occupants of Shinjuku Gyoen walk around in the park grounds.

Speaking of, she also had to meet Ayumi today at 10am. _'So much to do…'_ she thought with a smile. Today was going to be great.

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

"You know me, girl," Ayumi said, paying the man, "I need my coffee." Ayumi and Kagome both laughed as they left the coffee wagon that sat just at the entrance of Shinjuku Gyoen for any visitors or any passerby who might need a pick-me-up. The two women strolled into the park side by side, following a couple in front of them.

"Yes, I know you," Kagome said with a smile. "You also know me."

"Yup. You need your coffee too."

Kagome nodded. "For some reason though, I got up super early this morning. I only slept for two hours."

Ayumi almost spilled her coffee on herself. "What? What time did you get home? I thought Jinenji walked you home?"

"Yes, he did." Kagome looked ahead as the trees began to surround them. Instead of being surrounded by buildings and noise, they were now a little deeper in the park where there were a few more trees and less noise from the outside world. The land was lush and green, a stark contrast to the tall buildings and skyscrapers that loomed over the trees in the park. It really was like a sore thumb in the city, but a beautiful one at that. "I think I just couldn't sleep because I knew that I got the position."

"What position?" Ayumi asked, taking another sip of her coffee.

Kagome smiled mischievously, making Ayumi eye her down with suspicion. "What position? Wait." Ayumi's eyes widened as she figured it out. "You got the spot?" Kagome nodded her head with a smile and Ayumi screamed, making the couple in front of them jump and turn around to look at them. But the two were too focused on the excitement spilling over from each other. Ayumi grabbed Kagome and hugged her with her free arm while the other tried to stay out of the way so she wouldn't spill her coffee everywhere.

"Oh my gosh, Kagome! I'm so excited for you! Congratulations!"

Kagome giggled. "Thanks, Ayumi. Really… I found out last night while Jinenji was walking me home." The two women released each other, smiling as if they won the lottery, and giggling like they were in high school.

"How? Someone called you?" Ayumi asked, now leading the way since they had stopped walking. "Here," she said, pointing with her hand holding the coffee. "Let's go sit over there. I want to hear all about it."

Kagome giggled and followed Ayumi off the path and onto the grass where they went to sit under a small Sakura tree. It was summertime so the sakura tree was not in bloom but it was a rich, dark green and its shade was enough for the two of them to sit under without getting burned. The two of them sat down and got comfortable, both taking off their purses. Kagome stretched out her legs in front of her, feeling like she should've gone to the gym or something.

"Now spill!" Ayumi said with a smile, really wanting to know more.

Kagome was grateful that Ayumi was happy for her. She was happy for herself. It was really a dream. "Well… Miroku left a message for me last night. I listened to it on my walk home and he basically said that I got the part. They loved the way I moved and my dance style," Ayumi squealed, causing Kagome to laugh. "But he wanted to meet with me today."

Ayumi gasped. "What time?"

Kagome checked her Fitbit. "At 1pm. We got time." Ayumi nodded her agreement and smiled, staring up at the sky.

"Wow, Kagome… this is awesome news. Good for you, girl," she said, looking at her with a genuine smile. "I know how much you really wanted this."

Kagome smiled, "Yes. It was you and Midoriko who kept pushing me to audition. Remember?" she said with a glare. Ayumi smiled with a nod, not taking any offense by that glare. Kagome sighed with a shake of her head. "But if it wasn't for you two pushing me to train and apply, I probably would've talked myself out of it and missed my opportunity."

Kagome looked at Ayumi and the woman just smiled, her white eyes gleaming with triumph. Kagome giggled. "Thanks, Ayumi." Ayumi reached over to pat her bare thigh. She wore black jeans shorts with a white short-sleeve shirt. Something simple. Ayumi had chose a blush summer dress that went to her knees and flared around her to help with the heat during this time of the year. Kagome placed her hand on Ayumi's and gave it a squeeze.

"So tell me about the audition," Ayumi said as she brought her hand back and rearranged her seating.

Kagome sighed and crossed one ankle over the other. "Well…"

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

Ayumi and Kagome both made their way back out of Shinjuku Gyoen. It was a little after noon and Kagome had to get going. The train ride was about 20mins and she didn't want there to be any lost time while she walked. She wanted to be early or at the latest, on time.

"Oh, tell me about Sai," Ayumi said quickly, remembering the client Kagome had last night. "He showed up again after the club closed, right? Did you see him on your way home?"

Kagome shook her head. That was the whole reason why Jinenji had to walk home with her last night. "No. I don't know why he showed up again last night. I think he really thought that we had a connection, which was why he wanted to see me again," she said with a shrug.

"Well… did you?"

"Did I what?"

"Did you think you two had a connection?"

The gates of the park came closer and the sounds of the streets came clearer the more they walked. Kagome thought about it for a moment. Although she thought he was really cute, very rich, very well-built and very attentive to her, she also knew that she wasn't right for him. He was too good for her. She shook her head. Maybe in another life. "No. I mean… don't get me wrong, he was very handsome, hot as hell, and what I liked about him the most is how he made me feel."

"He made you feel…" Ayumi said. "Period."

Kagome nodded. They both knew what it was like to be a gentlemen's girl, moving around between men and working only to please them with whatever they needed to be fulfilled. Even to the point of sex if that was what the man and woman wanted, but it always had to be up to her. He only paid her for what she was willing to do for him. But everything was strictly business for the women. Sex meant nothing. Their bodies wasn't their own during those several minutes. Their bodies and their time were not their own as they were bought to accompany these men in Midnite. They didn't belong to themselves in Midnite but to the men who wanted them, and most importantly to Onigumo who ran the whole show. But Kagome and the girls had no problem with that. They were used to it. It was what they signed up for, it made good money which was what they needed, and quite frankly many of them enjoyed their job. They crave that attention from a man. To just feel wanted.

"I felt like he got me."

"Hmmm… did you two talk?"

And by 'talk' Ayumi meant if she talked. About herself. "No. We only talked about his problems. But I felt like I got him. And… I think maybe he saw me."

Ayumi stopped walking, catching Kagome by the arm to stop her too. "Kagome… what do you mean?" She was now worried. For one, they were women who were highly secretive. They lived their lives outside of Midnite on the down-low in fear of people stalking them or trying to rob them. One of their girls had that happen. She was followed from the club and some bastard raped her and left her on the streets. That was why they were so secretive about using their stage names in the club and, of course, never giving out personal information like phone numbers.

"Don't worry, Ayumi," Kagome said, smiling reassuringly at her. "I didn't tell him anything about me. I just feel like he saw past my walls. Like he was understanding me and I let him get to me." Kagome shrugged as she looked away from Ayumi. "I think I just wanted that someone to connect with. Just for a minute."

Ayumi nodded. "I know." And she did. "But that's why he came back. You have to be more careful, Kagome."

Kagome nodded, and as soon as she felt Ayumi release her arm, she began to walk again. They were closer now to the entrance so she could drop this subject. "Oh!" She just remembered. "He also said something that really shocked me." She had forgotten. When he said it, she remembered the punch to her gut, like someone had slapped her across her face. And for that split second, she felt like crying.

"What?" Ayumi asked, now worried and curious as to what it was about this guy that got to Kagome.

They were at the entrance now and Kagome checked the time. It was nearly 12:15pm.

"I have to go Ayumi," she said, turning to give her friend a hug. She hoped that Ayumi wouldn't try to prevent her from going. She really didn't want to talk about it. Not here. Not ever. It wasn't something that she shared with anyone.

Ayumi huffed, and just as she was about to hug Kagome back, the girl turned around and took off, walking briskly into the sidewalk of people. She glared at Kagome's back, but deep down she could feel that Kagome didn't want to share whatever it was that had bothered her last night. And for that, Ayumi had to respect that. There were things that many of them in the club didn't want to share with each other. They all had their secrets and they all understood not to pry. It was none of their business. Ayumi sighed and went to throw her empty coffee away, then made her way through the streets of people.

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

This time it was quiet in Tokyo Academy like it normally is when there are no auditions. Kagome was greeted by the cool air of the building as she walked in the double glass doors and made her way to the counter. She noticed it was the same woman who had been there during the auditions. _'Hmmm, she probably works for the academy and not Kikyo.'_

The woman glanced up and greeted her with a smile. "Good afternoon. Do you have an appointment?"

Kagome nodded with a smile. "Yes. I'm meeting… ummm, Kikyo Hayashi." She didn't know what to say since she thought she was meeting Miroku since he was the one who setup the meeting. And maybe the rest of the dance crew. Honestly, she had no idea who was here.

The woman smiled with a nod. "Right through the door. On your first left."

"Thank you." She smiled and turned to open the door. It felt like deja vu but only this time, she got the job and would be going in for a personal interview. _'Hmmm… I wonder if I really got the job.'_ Miroku's call did make it seem like she got the part. He wanted her to come in and meet the crew and to fill out some paperwork, so it seemed like the part was hers.

Kagome stood in front of the door and steeled her nerves. _'Alright. Keep it together.'_ She hadn't applied for a job in all her life. Onigumo had found her on the streets when she was only eighteen. He had offered her a job at Midnite then, among other things he had done for her that fateful night. She remembered it like it was yesterday. And she would always be indebted to Onigumo. He saved her life.

But now, she would be applying for a real job, one where she would get a paycheck and she would have to sign all sorts of papers to verify who she was. Plus, the references. Onigumo covered her on that. He covered her entire life. He knew what her dreams were, they've known each other for so long. He knew that she always wanted to be a dancer, something greater than just the club, and so he had agreed to allow her to work somewhere else if that made her happy. But he had also warned her that he wouldn't allow her to leave him. That was one thing he made clear when she was eighteen.

She opened the door and was greet by the sight of people sitting around a table in the center of the dance studio. It looked the same as it did yesterday with the mirror walls but this time there was only a table in the center. She noticed that everyone stopped talking and looked her way, giving her a chance to take in who was here.

' _Kikyo!'_ The singer Kikyo Hayashi was actually here! _'Oh my gosh!'_ Kagome felt like she would buckle and drop to her knees. Kikyo was a huge star here in Japan and for Kagome to be meeting her, like this and so unexpected, she was shocked and taken aback. _'I should've worn something nicer.'_ She berated herself, although she thought that what she wore was still appropriate for this meeting. She had on the same black shorts and white top she had this morning.

"Kagome! Come in," Miroku called from the table. She must've been standing there a little too long for him to have to call her. She blushed and hurriedly closed the door behind her.

When Kagome made her way to the table she was able to take everyone in. There were a total of five people. She sat at the one chair across of the five and took in the faces from her left to her right. Inuyasha sat furthest on the left, his body language showing his boredom as he leaned back with his arms crossed, staring at her intently. She quickly looked away from him to view a new man who she hadn't met yesterday. He was dressed in a black and white suit with short black hair and purple eyes. _'Hmmm… a demon.'_ Kikyo sat in the middle, next to the man in the suit. She was gorgeous up close. She had makeup on but it only complimented her features. She had beautiful light brown eyes and her hair spilled over her shoulders. She wore a form-fitting green dress that showed her cleavage above the table. Kagome then looked next to Kikyo where Sango sat. Sango wore a simple black t-shirt and she smiled warmly at Kagome, making her smile back in thanks. Miroku sat at the farthest right next to Sango, one arm lying on the back of her chair as he sat back comfortably in his, a knowing smile on his face. She smiled at him and then looked back at Kikyo.

"It's an honor to meet you, Kikyo," she said, not really knowing what else to say to a celebrity. It was her first time meeting one.

Kikyo chuckled and brought her hands to rest on the table. "Please, Kagome. No formalities. You'll be working for me so I like to keep my coworkers on a friendship basis." Kagome nodded her understanding and waited for someone to start the meeting.

The man in the suit moved first. "Kagome, my name is Naraku Igarashi. I am Kikyo's manager." Kagome turned to look at him with a smile and nodded. "It seems like you hit the jackpot, hm?"

Kagome bit her lip to contain her excitement. "It seems I have."

"I was told all three of our choreographers chose you once they saw you perform."

Kagome blushed and looked down at the table, unsure of what to say. She didn't know they chose her then and there. If that was the case, why did Miroku call her so late last night? Whatever his reason, she was just grateful and lucky that he did.

"You're making her uncomfortable, Naraku," Inuyasha said, noticing Kagome's reaction.

Sango nodded and tapped the table. "Sorry, Kagome. We don't mean to brag about you, but you are really good." Kagome looked up at Sango so as not to be rude, but inside she was trembling at all the compliments. She's not used to being put in the spotlight and complimented on. "After your audition, we decided to cancel the rest of the day. That was when we had an answer."

Miroku nodded. "I called it," he bragged. "I remember when I first saw you in the waiting room and knew you would be the one." Inuyasha, at the other end, blew air through his lips and shook his head at Miroku's comment. "What?!" he said, leaning forward to look down the table. "I did come in and tell you guys about her."

Kikyo put her hands up and glanced back and forth at the two men. "Alright guys. Enough. I think she really is getting embarrassed."

Kagome nodded, her face flushed. "Sorry… I'm not… used to this."

Kikyo tilted her head in wonder. "You haven't auditioned for any dance auditions before?" Kagome shook her head and that made Kikyo shock, which showed. "Really?"

"May I ask why?" Naraku asked.

Kagome shrugged, not wanting to lie but also not going to tell them the entire truth. "I just never felt up to it, honestly. I never really saw myself auditioning for a part in a huge dance group."

"Not even for a smaller part?" Naraku asked.

Kagome shook her head. "No."

"Why is that?"

She wondered where all the questions were coming from but she understood that this was another 'audition'. Even though she got the job, as Miroku said via voicemail, she knew that this was still part of the hiring process. They would've looked into her background- knew her name, number, address, occupation, hobbies and interests- to find out more about this woman who wanted to be given this job. It was an understanding process, but one that Onigumo would help to cover up for her.

"I just never really saw myself in doing that," she said, the truth but not entirely. "I'm always a little shy of the spotlight." That wasn't the truth in whole.

"Hmmm…" Naraku said, looking down at the envelope in his hand.

"But you came here to audition for a part that would put you in the spotlight and even on television?" Inuyasha asked, now interested in who this woman was and why she was even here. She didn't seem like the kind of woman who would throw herself at this opportunity and start gushing at the seems to be hired. In fact, she was the opposite. She was quiet and reserved, just sitting there and letting them scrutinize her.

Kagome nodded. "I'm assuming we're going to go over a contract."

Naraku then looked up, bringing the said contract out of the manila envelope. "Yes. You did get the part but we still have to go over the fine print and then you are officially hired."

Kagome nodded her understanding. "I understand. I have a few fine print myself."

Sango's eyes widened, as did the others. "Oh?"

Kagome nodded and looked apologetically at Kikyo. "I'm sorry. I understand that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and that I should be throwing myself at your feet for offering it to me" Kikyo smiled and shook her head. "But if you want me to agree to your terms, you have to agree to mine as well." Inuyasha leaned back in his chair and intently watched Kagome. _'Her terms? She came to a hiring with terms?'_ Now he was really interested. She seemed like a woman full of secrets.

Kikyo took a deep breath and looked next to her at Naraku. The two of them exchanged a look and then focused back on her.

"Let's talk," Naraku said. Kagome smiled and nodded. She watched as he handed her what was in his hands. It was a stack full of papers stapled together with the front page bearing a headshot of her. Naraku handed out the rest of the stacks to each person at the table so that everyone had a copy and could follow along.

"Alright… do you want to start Kagome, or should we just go through the contract?" Naraku asked.

Kagome shook her head. "Let's go through it first," she said with a smile, not wanting to be rude.

Naraku nodded and looked down at the first page.

"Is everything on this page correct?"

Kagome scanned the page from top to bottom. Aside from having her picture on it, there was general information about her: gender, birthdate, sex, height, weight. They had sent out an email with a link to this contract when they were doing the auditions so all the applicants were able to fill out the form online without having to print it out and bring it with them.

"Yes."

Naraku nodded and turned to the next page, folding the paper back as everyone did the same. "How about this page?"

Kagome noticed page two was about her hobbies and interests. They asked a lot of information about hobbies and interests, from the times she normally did a hobby to what she was interested in doing. They also asked for elaboration on each hobby and interest such as if it was a solo activity or one with a group of people, if it was at home or had to be driven to.

"Yes."

"I see you like to swim," Sango commented, looking up at Kagome.

Kagome nodded with a smile. "I love the ocean. I have a SCUBA certification too."

Sango's eyes widened as did everyone else's at the table, even though it was in her resume. "Wow! I remember seeing something like that. I must've forgot. That's cool!"

"That's ironic," Inuyasha said, making Kagome turn to look at him. He had a smirk as he looked at her, his golden eyes so beautiful. _'Oh geez, Kagome…'_ She hate to admit it, but they were beautiful.

"What is?" she asked.

"That you SCUBA."

"Why?"

Naraku waved his hand. "We'll get to it in a bit." He dismissed Inuyasha and went right back to the contract. "Let's head to the next page."

Kagome flipped it over to see it was the credentials and references page. _'Here we go.'_ She would have to answer their questions about that.

"So… I had a few questions about this."

Kagome nodded. _'Thought you might.'_

Naraku pointed to one of the lines. "It says here that you received a certificate for completing compulsory school." Kagome nodded. "Please explain that."

Kagome nodded again. "I was homeschooled since I was young so I never went to any form of public schooling. I never went to compulsory school or to junior high. But I did take the examination to get a certificate that allows me to enter college if I desired." Part of that was a complete lie.

"Hmmm," Naraku said, looking questioningly down at her record. "I've never heard of such a thing."

Miroku interrupted him. "I think it became a thing just in this past decade. It was for students in junior high who didn't finish school but still wanted to go onto college. It was usually because they were bullied or couldn't handle going to a public school."

Kagome smiled at Miroku, thanking him without him even knowing that he was helping to bail her out of lying even more.

Naraku shrugged. "It matters little. We were just curious as to your schooling."

"Understandable."

Naraku then pointed down at another line. "It also says that you are now working at Starlite?"

Kagome nodded. Kikyo made a sound. "Mmmm… I love that restaurant!" Kagome chuckled with a smile.

"Yes, it's very good."

"Very good? It's a five-star restaurant," Inuyasha said.

Kagome nodded. "Yes. I'm a hostess there and sometimes fill in as a waitress." Another lie. "I normally work there from three in the afternoon to two in the morning, depending on the day and my schedule."

"Wow. Is it an eight hour shift?" Sango asked.

"Yes. But my hours usually range within that time period. I never do the lunch service."

Naraku nodded. "What days do you work there?"

"Thursday through Sunday."

"That's it?" Sango asked.

Kagome shrugged. "They pay well and so do the customers." Sango made a face that agreed with Kagome's statement thinking of all the people who save a whole paycheck's worth just to eat there.

Starlite was a five-star restaurant located at the top of Tokyo Star. Tokyo Star is the tallest building in Japan. It had fifty floors with different businesses in each section of the building. The first three floors was Tokyo Star Bank. The fourth to thirtieth floors belonged to Tokyo Star Hotel. Then, from the thirtieth up to the forty-seventh floor was nothing. Starlite owned the last three upper levels with each floor being a different dining theme with different menus and dress attire. Starlite also is a rotating restaurant, which makes it even more popular and expensive, so it gives a beautiful panoramic view of Tokyo as the diners eat.

"Well, I would think they pay well. I went there once and it was hella expensive," Miroku said with a shake of his head. "But the view was damn worth it." Sango giggled and slapped his thigh.

Kagome nodded. "I don't have to work much to earn enough to pay my rent," she commented.

Naraku nodded his understanding, looking around to see if anyone else had anymore questions before he moved on.

"So… will you be able to dedicate time here and still work there? Or will you quit that job?" Inuyasha asked. Naraku smiled to himself, waiting for someone to ask that.

Kagome shrugged and looked over at him. "I love my job there. I want to keep that job, if it's possible. I think I'll try it for some time, to do both, and if I get worn out then I'll leave that one for this one. That is… if my position is permanent."

Inuyasha nodded with a smile. "It is. But you don't have it completely yet."

This time, everyone looked down the table at him. "What?" Naraku asked, wondering what Inuyasha was up to.

"Yeah," Inuyasha said, bringing his hands onto the table to tap the table a few times. "I want to see how good you are before I let you into my dance crew. Like Kikyo said… we're like family most of us. We need you for this concert only since we lost one of our dancers because she got pregnant. But if you are good enough, then we'll keep you for good. How's that?"

Kikyo sighed and shook her head. It really wasn't her decision to make. Even though Kagome would be dancing for her, Inuyasha was the leader of her dance crew and she trusted him entirely with that. He would make the final decision, along with Sango and Miroku, on whether or not Kagome stays permanently as a crew or if they didn't need one at all after the concert was over.

Kagome nodded her head, feeling the challenge from Inuyasha like an inspiration. "Okay. Even more reason to keep my job then."

Inuyasha arched his eyebrow. "But you'll dedicate your time to us?"

"Of course," she nodded. "I'll do my best."

"Good. Because we start practice early in the morning."

"How early?"

Inuyasha shrugged and placed his head in his hand as he propped up his elbow. "Around 7 o'clock."

Kagome's eyes widened. "Wow. That's early. For how long?"

"The whole morning sometimes," Miroku said, catching her attention.

"It depends really," Sango said. "In the morning we usually come here to exercise. Then after that we start our practice for a couple hours. Depending on if we're learning a new number or just rehearsing one, we can be done quickly or at noon. There is a cafeteria in here and some vending machines so we make do with breakfast here, or just bring our own. But after that, the afternoon is all yours."

"So there is no nighttime practice?" Kagome asked.

"Sometimes," Inuyasha said.

"I can only give Monday through Wednesday for nighttime practices. I can't ask for off unless it's something really important." She knew Onigumo would not stand for it if every week she would ask for some weekends off. He needed her on the weekends and that's all he asked her to work for.

"So… your boss… Taylor Brady. He owns Starlite?" Naraku said, changing the subject since she brought up her work.

"No. He's just the manager. Well, one of the managers." Now she had to switch her thinking again.

"And I see you list him as your reference, along with Onigumo Matsumoto and Ayumi Yamamoto."

"Yes."

"We'll call them after this interview to follow up with them."

Kagome nodded, having full confidence that the three of them would back her up. They all knew about her getting this job as they were all warned beforehand that she would put them down as her references.

"Ok. I think that's all the questions I had about your profile. Does anyone else have any questions before we get to the contract?"

Kikyo moved and Kagome focused her attention on the singer. "I have one. Kagome, why did you want this job to begin with?"

Kagome smiled, waiting for them to get personal with her. "I love to dance," she looked around the room, "as I'm sure most of you do as well. But it has been my passion since I can remember. When I was young, there used to be maiko near where I lived who would practice some of her numbers on the streets under this maple tree. I would sneak out and watch her and ever since then, I fell in love with how people can express themselves through their body and through dancing. I began to look at other forms of art like breakdancing and hiphop and I just watched and learned routines on my own."

"So, you're good at learning a routine by watching?" Sango asked, now very intrigued.

Kagome nodded her head. "That's how I would learn. I would watch and then mimic the routine. Practice it, of course, but I usually catch on pretty quickly. Sometimes, I would just make up my own routines based on what I already know and how I feel at the moment."

Sango nodded, turning to look over her shoulder at Miroku to give him a huge smile. She really liked Kagome. She turned back to Kagome and nodded her understanding. "Another reason why we needed this interview was because there is another factor we have to address before we can hire you. Something more important than just your audition."

"Oh?" Kagome asked, now interested. If something else was more important than her resume and her audition then it must be something that they cannot modify or change, even if she couldn't go with it. Which reminded her. "Can we first talk about my terms before we get to yours?"

Inuyasha chuckled. "I like her style," he said, leaning back and crossing one ankle on top of his knee under the table. He liked her spunk and the fact that she had terms at a job interview, terms that he was sure she wouldn't cross if she was so adamant about bringing them up now. He liked this woman. There was something about her, besides her good looks and her scent that still got to him, but he really did like her spirit.

Kagome smiled apologetically at Inuyasha and then looked at Kikyo, all serious. "I'm sorry. But this I will not give in to. They are my only terms and then I'm all yours."

Kikyo thought of it for a moment. She had to admit, she did like this girl's audacity to bring her own terms to the table, but then again, this was an interview and like a business deal. The only reason why they needed her was to fill a spot, and right now she didn't have the job yet until she proved that she could learn all the numbers in the amount of time they had left. So there was no deal yet with this girl. But Kikyo had to give it to her.

"If these three want you then I want you," she said, trusting her dancers. "What's your terms, Kagome?"

"I will not appear on music videos or do any PR or any sort of television marketing." Kagome looked at everyone while she spoke so they knew that she meant it.

Naraku snickered and crossed his arms, his whole demeanor changing now. He went from a nice, professional businessman to someone who was irritated and disappointed. "What's the point of hiring you then?"

Sango held up her hand, trying to understand the woman's terms. "Wait, so what about concerts?" Naraku did have a point there.

Kagome nodded. "I will consent to concerts. Of course, I know what you are hiring me for. I'm a dancer. This is a dance position. I applied to dance for a huge pop-star that is making it to the top charts in the past couple of years. Your fame has soared, Kikyo," she said admiringly, now looking at the star at the middle of table. "Trust me. I fully understand what I'm signing up for and what I could be losing if you don't agree to what I'm asking for. But I won't give in. Not to this. I don't want my face on any billboards or television commercials or posters or CDs, none of it. It's personal for me and my privacy is my biggest concern."

Inuyasha smirked, closing his eyes as he listened to her words. It was obvious that Kagome thought about this. Why would she have gone through all this trouble to sign up for this part if she really didn't understand what she was signing up for. Then again, she was only a waitress and knew nothing about the spotlight and how hard it was to protect one's privacy once they stepped into the spotlight.

"You do understand what you're asking for?" Inuyasha said, speaking up for the rest of them. Kagome turned to look at him, his golden eyes fasten on her, making her freeze at the intensity of them. "You do know how hard it is for someone to keep their life private once they gain fame? We're constantly bombarded by reporters or fans who want our signatures. It's not just being on TV or in music videos that makes us 'famous'. It's also concerts, posters, social media… there's other ways for people to get your picture out into the world. Once you're in the spotlight it's hard to get out. How are you going to stop social media?"

Kagome frowned, understanding his point. She had thought about it as well and knew how millennials loved their social media. Everything was captured on cell phones nowadays. And of course, she was sure that people would capture a photo or more of her once she gets into the spotlight at a concert. And that… she couldn't help. But at least she could prevent herself from being on the news or a big media platform where many people watch. _'Especially him…'_

"I know," Kagome said with a nod. "I know there are many ways that my photo would get out there. But if there is something that I can control so that I don't deliberately put myself out there onto a huge media platform, then I will." She turned her attention back to Kikyo. "I'm sorry, but I want to try and protect myself before I lose myself."

' _Hmm,'_ Inuyasha thought. _'Lose herself?'_ He wondered what she meant about that.

Kikyo took a deep breath and waited for anyone else to speak up. When no one did, she made up her mind. "Fine. That's fine with me."

Naraku chuckled. "If you think you can protect your privacy this way… you're insane. But… whatever. If that's your only condition then let's get to the contract."

Kagome nodded her head.

Naraku looked back down at the contract. "I will add your terms to the new contract and then we can sign it once I print out a new one with the added conditions." Naraku then looked up at her. "Now… onto our terms." Kagome nodded.

"You said that you could learn routines just by watching," he said. Kagome nodded.

"Good." Miroku moved forward, leaning his head onto his hand as he propped his elbow on the table, like Inuyasha had. "We need you to learn fifteen numbers in three months."

Kagome's eyes widened and if she had been drinking something she would have spit it out of her mouth. "What?!"

Miroku smiled and laughed. "Yes. Fifteen numbers in three months."

"If you can't do it," Naraku said, interrupting Miroku, "Then we have no reason to hire you. We really need someone to cover for the dancer we lost because we have a concert in Hawai'i in three months."

' _Oh my goodness… what?!'_ Kagome thought, feeling numb all of a sudden. _'Hawai'i? She was going to be able to go there for a concert? So soon? But then she had to learn 15 numbers?'_

Kikyo smiled apologetically as she noticed Kagome's stunned face. "Sorry. I know it's a lot to ask but we had no other choice. I had Inuyasha and the others pull this audition out as quickly as they could, and thankfully they all agreed on one person without even having to go through all the auditions and without having to go back and forth on their choices. They all chose you once you finished your dance. And I'm assuming they all see potential in you. If they chose you for this part, I'm sure I can trust you enough to believe you can learn all the numbers in three months."

"You're asking for a lot," Kagome said. Fifteen numbers were a lot. They would be a complete number to a song that was usually three to five minutes long, depending on how the singer chose to modify their songs during a concert. So each number would have to be learned and memorized based on the singer's choosing and the time they had at the venue they were performing at. Taking all that into consideration, she had to learn not one but fifteen of them! The transitions coming on and off the stage, the changing of clothes between numbers… honestly she never really knew all that went on behind the scenes of a concert, but since she worked at Midnite, she knew what it took to put on a show. They were asking for a lot.

"Not anyone can pull it off," Inuyasha said, speaking what was on her mind. "But I saw potential in you the moment you stepped in front of us," he said, speaking the truth. Kagome couldn't help but find herself drawn to him as he spoke. He was handsome, to say in the least. Hot. A drop-dead gorgeous man who many women probably throw themselves at. Who knows how many women he's been with. That was something that she didn't want to think about. But just looking at him, Kagome was sure that she was going to have a hard time working with him. Not to mention his cute puppy ears on top of his head. She was attracted to him. That she could feel, just sitting there at the table she could feel an attraction to him, something about him that made her feel… safe. Safe was not a word that she knew.

"If you don't think you can do it," Inuyasha said with a smirk, "then tell us now so that we can look for someone else." He was egging her on and he caught that she realized his taunting her. He watched as she smiled and saw her blue eyes gleam with the challenge.

"I can do it."

Inuyasha nodded and slammed his hand on the table, jolting everyone. "It's settled then. You're hired."

Kikyo glared down the table at him. "I say whether or not she's hired."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes with a huff. "Whatever, Kikyo. Say exactly what I just said then."

Kikyo frowned and crossed her arms, the movement making her dress show more of her cleavage than Kagome would've liked. "Well, it beats the point now."

"Then why even bring it up," Inuyasha mumbled, irritated. Kagome smiled at the two of them, realizing that they had some sort of connection. They obviously knew each other better than just coworkers.

"Oh!" Kagome said, snapping to her senses. All of this excitement had caused her to forget about her reality. _'Onigumo…'_ Would he let her go? She had three months to ask him, although she would ask him tonight so that she could give them her answer for sure. There was no reason to take the job if Onigumo wouldn't allow her to go. That left something else unanswered. "How long will we be in Hawai'i?"

Kikyo turned her attention to Kagome. "For a week and a half. We were planning on arriving on a Thursday in O'ahu. I have a local news station interview on Friday to promote my concert that's on Saturday and Sunday at the Neil Blaisdell. Then, we stay until Tuesday and everyone is free to do their own thing while I do more promotions and 'fun' stuff," she said with a roll of her eyes. "Then, Wednesday we leave O'ahu and land on Maui for a couple of days of downtime for you guys while I do more PR stuff there to promote my concert at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center on Saturday and Sunday. Monday we do whatever else shopping or whatever everyone wants to do and then Tuesday we fly back to Japan. That was the plan anyways," Kikyo said with a shrug.

Kagome nodded. _'Wow. This is so awesome!'_ she thought, listening to the plan and seeing herself in Hawai'i again. She knew she would be there for work, and she fully didn't know what went into doing a concert, four days of performances at that, but she was excited to start and to actually be up there on stage. It was thrilling to think about it.

"We will be practicing at the venue," Inuyasha said, not wanting Kagome to get her hopes up. "So don't get too excited and start planning a whole vacation. We're there for work."

"Yeah, you are," Sango said with a wink at Kagome. "It's Hawai'i. Who said we can't have any fun in Hawai'i?"

Kagome giggled, totally agreeing with Sango. She could tell that she and Sango could be great friends.

"So… what do you say, Kagome?" Naraku asked.

Kagome nodded her head, but bit her lip. "But… I have to ask my boss." She really did have to ask Onigumo, even though none of them knew what she really did or where she really worked. She wasn't sure if Onigumo would let her go. He never let her for that long before. She had gone away on vacation before whenever life became too much for her here. And it was usually a little under a week or so. Which was fine to him since she worked only four days of the week. But still… those four days were crucial to him and his business. She was his girl, one of his best girls, and she knew that Onigumo wouldn't give her up even if she asked to quit and work full time for Kikyo. He wouldn't allow her.

"So… you won't give us an answer until you get the okay from your boss?" Miroku asked.

Kagome nodded. "I don't want to say 'yes' and then I won't get the approved time off. I'm sure my boss will allow it," she said, hoping that he really would, "but I really want to be sure I can commit with such short notice."

Inuyasha grunted and leaned back in his chair, seemingly disappointed from what Kagome could tell as she looked over at him. His eyes were closed but she watched him, noticing that he was a quiet one, but when he spoke, he always spoke with authority and everyone listened to him. He was Kikyo's choreographer and the leader of the dance group. So she could see why everyone listened to him when it came to decisions like these when hiring a new dance member.

"Okay," Kikyo said. "I appreciate your answer. Will you let us know by tonight?"

Kagome nodded. "Yes."

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

The club was pumping. The sound of the music flooded her veins and made her feel alive again. Midnite always did that to her. It gave her something that made her feel alive. Like she was able to hide from the world, from her past that haunted her every second of her day. But here, she was safe. Midnite was her fantasy world that she could live in for a couple of days of the week.

Kagome made her way through the men that littered the floor. There were so many men tonight being that it was a Friday night. Last night wasn't as busy but the weekends were always the liveliest, and that was why Onigumo wanted her to work the weekends. She along with Ayumi and Midoriko made the most money, they were his top three girls, and he wanted them only on the weekends. Tonight was no exception. The place was packed and Kagome was thankful for the welcome excitement tonight.

She made her way past the bar, noticing Hojo and Kohaku busy behind the bar as men sat and waited for their drinks. Some were facing the dance floor and some had their backs to her. But she smiled at the men who she caught eye contact with, watching them with appreciation as they followed her movements right past them.

Finally, she got to the end of the bar and went behind it. At the back of the bar's wall, away from the lights and attention, were the stairs that led to Onigumo's office. His office was above the bar where he could look out at his club and watch his girls. He was constantly watching them, for their safety and for his income, but he was never too far. And there was always a bouncer at the bottom of the stairs. Tonight, it was Manten. He was a thunder youkai, like his brother Hiten who was Ayumi's bodyguard, and he had purple eyes with his red spiky hair that stood up short. He was huge, his broad shoulders blocking the view of the stairs and if she didn't know any better, she wouldn't have known there was anything behind here. It was dark when you looked up. But for those who knew better, when you walked up the stairs there were lights pointed directly up so that you could see the stairs without tripping.

"Manten," Kagome greeted with a smile. She placed her hand on his left arm. "Is Onigumo up there?"

Manten smiled down at her with a nod. "Yeah. You want to see him?"

Kagome nodded. "Mmm hmmm. I have a half hour before my next client. I need to talk to him."

Manten looked up behind her and his eyes met with Jinenji. The bodyguard was never too far from her but always staying back where she never really noticed him being there.

"Okay."

Manten moved aside so she could go up. Kagome took her hand back and thanked him, making her way up the stairs. The stairs were metal but there were small holes in them so as not to make it difficult for Onigumo's girls to come up to him with their heels on, but also to let the light shine through so they could see where they were going. She made her way up and noticed how the music began to get softer. The walls of Midnite were soundproof and Onigumo's office was no exception. Even here in the stairwell, the music began to die down some except for where it came from down at the bottom where Manten remained vigilant.

She made it to the top and knocked before she opened the door. Onigumo's office wasn't anything that huge, but he did love his money and he loved to show it. The room was a neutral cream color with a furry cream carpet to match the walls. There was a chandelier in the center of the room, right above a table that held many different drinks that he could help himself with. To the right of the door was a glass wall that was soundproof and a one-way mirror, so only Onigumo could see out but no one could see into his office or know that there was one on top of the bar as it was tinted on the outside. Closer to the window, in the center, was a soft cream leather couch with a table where he could sit and watch the dance floor. And to the corner opposite of the door was a round table with chairs so he could do business near the window and watch out as well. There were lamps near the couch and in every corner of the room. But the light mainly came from the chandelier. To the left of the door was Onigumo's desk. He kept it simple and tidy, with only a couple stacks of paperwork and some trinkets, a couple of photo frames of his girls and some pen holders and office supply stuff.

Kagome noticed Onigumo sitting at his desk and he immediately looked up, his eyes meeting hers, and he smiled warmly, his eyes lighting up.

"Sapphire."

Kagome smiled and entered, closing the door behind her and making her way toward him. She noticed the approval in his eyes as he watched her come to him. He loved to watch her, whether it was walking towards him or away from him or just dancing. He had told her many times that he loved her body. It made her feel special and wanted. She loved the attention from him.

"Onigumo," she said in greeting, coming around his desk. He noticed what she wanted and moved his rolling chair back as she went directly onto his lap.

"Mmmm, I love what you're wearing."

Kagome chose to wear all black tonight. She wore leather pants that went to her hips and a leather bustier-like top. It reminded her of a halter sports bra as it held her girls tightly with a clasp in the back and it had a cut-out hole in the middle where her cleavage was in plain sight.

Onigumo reached up to support her bare back with his right hand and with his left he used his index finger to trace a line from her top down her bare stomach to the start of her pants.

"I like this a lot," he said with a wicked tone. "Did you get many approving looks?"

Kagome nodded with a satisfied nod. "Yeah. I called attention." He liked to hear of their 'conquests' as the girls like to call it. They sometimes loved to retell stories of how the men treated them or looked at them. And Onigumo noticed that it made them feel wanted, which was what all women wanted from a man. To be seen and to feel wanted. He gave that to them with this job.

"What's with the visit, then?"

Kagome leaned back a bit and wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling nervous all of a sudden. He noticed the change in her attitude immediately. He knew her so well after nine years of them being together.

"I need to ask you something."

"Oh? What?"

"I had my interview today."

Onigumo nodded, bringing his left hand onto his desk to tap out a rhythm. "I know. They called."

Kagome's eyes widened. "They did?"

"Yes. They did their references check already. Taylor called me to let me know that they called him too."

"Oh." She didn't know that they would've called her references without her giving them an 'okay' that she would take the job. She had told them she would let them know by the end of the day. But then again, Naraku did say he would call her references today. And it was already nine o'clock. She needed to ask Onigumo now and run to make the phone call before she lost her opportunity.

"Don't worry, Sapphire. You know Taylor and I know what to say."

She nodded. "I know. I just didn't think they would've called today honestly."

Onigumo arched an eyebrow. "So it didn't go well?"

Kagome shook her head. "No. It did. I just told them that I would have to check with my boss about something first before I take the job."

Onigumo was now curious and he settled into his chair, placing his hand on the armrest, gazing at her intently. "Well?"

"They told me the reason why they were looking for a dancer was because they had to replace one who got pregnant. They were quickly trying to find a replacement because in three months they have a concert in Hawai'i for a week and a half." She felt Onigumo stiffen and she grew quiet, knowing that this came as a shock for him. He could already figure out where the conversation was going without her having to finish.

Onigumo moved, making Kagome release his neck and come to a stand. He rose, fixing his dark blue suit, and she watched as he made his way to the table in the center of the room where he fixed himself a drink.

"I… I wanted to ask if you would allow me to go for a week and a half. It would be from a Thursday to a Tuesday. So I would miss two weeks of work." She made her way around his table and leaned her butt onto his table, placing her hands down beside her and waited. She watched as he poured himself a drink and reached into the ice bucket with a small tong and retrieved an ice cube. He dropped it into his dark amber liquid and grabbed his drink, taking a sip.

"A concert? You do know that you will be put into the spotlight."

Kagome nodded with a frown as Onigumo walked towards the glass wall, taking a few more sips of his drink. He stopped and looked down at the dance floor. She could only see the runaway lights that pulsed to the beat of the music. The music was droned out in here but she could still hear the muffled music.

"I know that, Onigumo," she said, looking down at her heeled boots. "I knew that when I decided to audition for the part. This is my dream." She looked up but his back was still towards her. "You knew I always wanted to be a dancer."

"You are a dancer."

"Yes," she nodded. "But here I'm a dancer in secret. No one knows that it's Kagome Saito who dances. No one knows who this woman is behind Sapphire."

"But out there they will."

Kagome nodded. "I know it'll be hard to keep my identity a secret but also be in the spotlight at the same time. I know that I'll run into trouble. Trouble seems to find me everywhere I go."

"You know, Sapphire… I will never give you up."

And there it was. Onigumo always reminded her that she belonged to him. She was his. No matter where she went or what she wanted to do with her life, he would never let her go. She was his to own and his to use. He was the one who saved her life and gave her a new one. This life that he had given her belonged to him. She belonged to him. In truth though, he was her saving grace.

Kagome sighed, feeling trapped again. As much as she loved him and was grateful for his help when he rescued her, she felt like she payed him back and then some. She did whatever he wanted of her, but he also accepted her boundaries and her terms. Much like Kikyo guys did today. They accepted her terms, which she was grateful for, and they left the decision up to her. They already chose. Now she had to choose.

"Onigumo. This is what I want to do."

She made her way toward him, the carpet in his office making her heeled boots silent. His broad shoulders were stiff and his whole posture was threatening, possibly because he felt like he was losing something precious to him. She could feel the tension radiating from him. Kagome stopped just a few steps from him, afraid that she had angered him.

"Onigumo?"

He turned to look at her and she saw the set of his clenched jaw. His blue-green eyes were blazing. Kagome gasped and took a step back. But before she could put distance between them, his left hand came up and he grabbed her arm, pulling her to him.

"Ah, Onigumo. You're hurting me."

Onigumo brought her flush against him, careful not to spill the drink in his right hand. He gazed down at the top of her head.

"Look at me, Sapphire."

He refused to use her name at a time like this. Even though no one could hear them, he still used her stage name. A name that he controlled, that he owned.

She obeyed, looking up at him. His eyes were still hard on her but his grip on her arm loosened.

"You are mine. Remember that, Sapphire. I won't let you go." Kagome nodded her understanding. "If you really want this job, then I will let you have it. But you will remember well that your security and your privacy will be shot once you take up this job. It's nothing like what you got here."

"I know," she said, turning her head so that she looked down at the stage. Midoriko was on now, doing one of her favorite numbers. Kagome watched as she twirled around the pole and slid down until she did the splits and flipped her long hair back, causing money to be thrown onto the stage for her. This was the kind of dancing she knew. This was the kind of spotlight she loved. The one in the darkness. The one that no one knew who she was and wouldn't know about her if she walked along the streets to go get some coffee. No one would hound her for autographs or to take their picture with her. Even if they did notice her and was one of her clients, they were bound by their obligation to the secrecy of Midnite's girls and they were not to harass any of the women should the clients come into contact with them in the world. They would be kicked out of the gentlemen's club and possibly sued if Onigumo wanted to go that far for their crimes to his girls.

"I protect you," Onigumo said, reminding her of how much she needed her privacy. "I make sure that outside these walls, he cannot find you. That you can be and do what you want to do here, but outside no one will harass you for it. I gave you what you wanted."

Kagome frowned. _'Why is he bringing it up? He's trying to make me feel bad about signing up for this job. Does he not want me to take it?'_ Onigumo hadn't denied her when she told him her plan to signup for Kikyo's dance group. He had agreed to be her reference and had given her his consent to apply for another job. So then why was he now making it seem like he didn't want her to take it?

Onigumo tugged on her arm, making her look back at him. "I want you to be sure of this, Sapphire. I want you to know what you're really asking. I told you numerous times that I can protect you, and I have. I told you what that job will do for you and that if anything was to happen, I cannot protect you from the repercussions. But… I also told you that I will never let you go."

Kagome nodded. She knew his terms. He was willing to let her fulfill her dream but she would still have to work for him. Her dream would have to revolve around Onigumo.

"I know."

He waited. Onigumo wanted to make sure that Kagome knew what she was asking of him. He couldn't protect her from all the fans that Kikyo has, from the spotlight that she was going to put herself in. But he also wouldn't let her go. She was his. He only wondered how long she would stay with this job before she realized it was too much. Being famous like that pop-star is something that Kagome never wanted for herself.

Kagome's eyes pleaded with him. "I know what I'm asking for. I know that I could be giving up my privacy. But I need to try. I need to do this for me. I've always wanted to be a dancer, you know that. Not like this. But a real dancer. I wanted to make something of myself, of what I love to do, and I wanted to show the world how beautiful dance can be. If it means me having to strip away a little of my privacy, then so be it. But it's my choice to make, Onigumo."

He smirked, releasing her arm and taking a step away from her towards the window, gazing down at Midoriko. "Your choice," he said softly to himself before he took a drink.

"My choice," Kagome said, more adamant this time. She would not give in. "My choice is to remain here. But my choice is also to be a part of Kikyo's dance group. I already gave them my terms."

"Which is?" Onigumo asked, now curious.

"I told them I would not appear in any music videos or do any PR or any television commercials. I would do concerts only."

"How long do you think that will last? How long until they change their minds?"

Kagome shook her head, bringing her hand up to place it over where Onigumo had squeezed her arm. "We will sign a contract. They are bound to it, as am I. And I will quit if they breach it."

Onigumo nodded.

"Onigumo, please. I know you have your reservations… heck, I have them too. Do you think I don't know what I'm getting myself into? I know that I could be risking my privacy and risking him finding me. I'm going to try my best to not put myself out there where he will see. Which is why I'm sticking only to concerts because I don't think he would go to a female pop-star concert. But I know that I'm risking him finding me by doing this. But… I need to do it. For me. I need to try or else… or else I don't know what more I can be if I don't try for it."

Onigumo sighed. He could hear the pleading in Kagome's voice and he could never deny her anything. There was something so tender and innocent about this woman that always made him give her whatever she wanted. And she never asked for much. The only thing she asked for was for her safety and security. That was it. She didn't ask for cars or a fancy place to stay. She was a simple woman who needed simple things. And yet, he tried to give her the world because she was his world. Without her, he was nothing. And Onigumo had a soft spot for her. She was the only woman he owned who could make him feel this way, like she owned him too.

With a deep sigh and a sip of his drink, he gave into her. Again. "Okay."

Kagome gasped, turning so that she could hug him, laying her head against his chest. "Thank you, Onigumo. Thank you."

He brought his free hand up to tangle in her blue-black hair. He pulled her hair gently so that she would look up at him. Her beautiful blue eyes always stirred something in him. He bent his head and kissed her.

Kagome let him kiss her. He sometimes gave her a kiss on the lips when they would have deep conversations like this and would make up after an argument or a disagreement. Sometimes he would just kiss her. It was his way of branding her, of reminding her or maybe himself, that he still had her and always would. She would never kiss him back, though. She didn't care for him that way.

Onigumo gave her a quick kiss on her soft lips and then released her hair, moving out of her arms as he went back to his desk.

"Now go. Don't you have another client soon?"

Kagome nodded, even though she knew he couldn't see her. "In five minutes. I have to make the call to Kikyo first and then I'll get back to work." Her voice couldn't contain her excitement. She was going to work for Kikyo Hayashi! She was going to be a pop-star dancer. Her life was going to change. She was going to make something of herself and people would see that it was Kagome who could dance, not Sapphire.

"Thank you, Onigumo."

He waved his free hand above his head, dismissing it.

She smiled with a shake of her head. With that, she took her leave. She made her way to the door and down the stairs, the sound of the club now flooding her ears again after the silence in Onigumo's office. It was deafening and yet a much needed distraction. Manten heard her coming down and he turned to move to the side, gazing up at her as she made her way down to the last step.

"How'd it go?" he asked.

Kagome nodded. "Awesome!" She gave him a pat on his shoulder and then left him to guard duty. "I have to make a quick phone call." There was a back door entrance at the base of the stairs, which was another thing that Manten guarded here. This back door that blended so well with the black wall, was another hidden entrance for the women's dressing room. When the club opened, the dancers were only allowed to go in and out of this door because there was always a bodyguard here and no client would be able to follow them into the back.

Manten nodded his head and opened the door for her, stepping back so that she could step inside. He closed it behind her and Kagome made her way down the narrow hallway that was illuminated with neon blue lights. Her eyes had to adjust to the new lighting but she was used to all the different lights in the club. She hurried her steps, needing to call Miroku before she had to get back to work. She needed to make this call and her steps proved how excited she was.

Kagome got to the dressing room and was welcomed with the smells of perfume. She made her way to her work station and opened her purse, grabbing her phone. She found Miroku's number that she saved from yesterday's phone call. His number was the only one she had now that she thought about it. She was sure she would be able to get the other's numbers soon enough now that she would be taking the job.

The phone began to ring and she couldn't stay in place. She walked around the clothes stands and fiddled with some of the outfits, waiting for Miroku to pick up. The ring was cut and Kagome's heart skipped.

"Takenaka."

She gulped. This was it.

"Hi, Miroku. This is Kagome."

"Ah! Kagome! It's nice to hear from you. Sorry, I thought this number looked familiar but I didn't save you as a contact yet."

"Oh… no worries. I… ummm, was calling because I wanted to give you my answer. Sorry for being so late."

"Nah. It's not like we sleep anyways," he said with a chuckle.

Kagome giggled, wondering how true that would be once she had to learn fifteen numbers in three months. She was totally up for the challenge and she could feel her excitement take over.

"I'm in. When do you want me to start?"


	3. C3- Dance with Me

**Author's Note:** New chapter! Like I said in the first chapter, things might get a little dark and a little graphic. Don't be alarmed (just a warning). On a side note: I hope my change in names at Midnite doesn't confuse some of you :) There is a reason to it. But since no one has told me otherwise, I'm assuming you're catching on as you read. Anyways... enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha

* * *

The sound of her alarm awoke her from her dreams. Kagome groaned as her hand automatically reached for her phone on her bedside stand. Grabbing it, she turned off the alarm, prying her eyes open. It was still dark. She remembers setting her alarm to 4am for this morning, which meant she had another night of a two-hour sleep. _'Ugh… I can do this. I told them I would dedicate myself to this and I will.'_ Maybe that would become her new mantra every morning when she worked a double with a few hours of sleep in between. But that was what she was willing to do for her dream.

Kagome stretched with a groan and pulled back her covers. ' _Another day.'_ She got out of bed and shuffled over to her bathroom. After she was done waking up, she came out and went immediately to her kitchen. _'Coffee, coffee, coffee.'_ Her plan was to eat her morning snack, which was her coffee and toast, and that would be enough to get her ready to do some exercise. She wanted to exercise a bit as a warmup before she had to meet with Inuyasha.

Miroku had told her last night when she talked to him that he and Sango would be gone this morning until tomorrow night. They had planned a weekend vacation outside of the city for just the two of them to spend time together. She read the tabloids and heard the rumors that the two had dated for years, and it was obvious in their chemistry on stage. Miroku also told her that Inuyasha would be her trainer for the next two days since he wanted to start dancing with her. Kagome was surprised to hear this, but Miroku told her that Inuyasha never really stated that to him. He just has been friends with the hanyou for so long that he knew his best friend and he knew that Inuyasha was itching to see what she could do. Kagome was really starting to see how much of a 'family' this dance group really was. Maybe they were all friends before they joined the group, that's how they know each other so well. Or maybe they became friends after they joined the group and met Kikyo. Whatever the reason, Kagome could tell that they all knew each other, at least these four did, and she was willing to bet that they spent a lot of their days outside of work together.

She made quick work with her small, portable french press and toast. She took her things and went to her sliding door. The sounds of the city waking up in the darkness was her familiarity. She placed her things on the small glass table outside, turned to turn on her bedside lamp, and opened the curtain just a bit so that the light could shine outside just enough for her to see her food. Kagome went out and sat on her cushioned chair, sighing as she did.

She thought about last night as she prepared her coffee and began to take her first, satisfying sip. Last night, even though it was busy, she had a client that paid for four hours of her time, which meant she spent half her night with him. It wasn't that big a deal. He was nice, a little older than she expected, but he was a new client. He wanted to watch her dance most of the night so she had done a couple of solo numbers, much to Onigumo's delight because the crowd was growing as everyone sat on the main dance floor to watch her. Not to mention the tips they gave. All that money, of course, was hers. But Onigumo always got a cut from his girls. She had made 75,000 yen last night. It was a great night. And all that money was going to her savings for when she would need it.

Kagome sighed as she took another sip of her coffee, feeling her body awaken now as the dark sky began to show signs of light out in the distance. The buildings of Tokyo loomed all around her but the sky could still be seen over the gyoen. She smiled as she thought about today. _'I have to spend the whole day with Inuyasha.'_ Honestly, she was a bit nervous about that. For one thing, it would just be the two of them at the dance academy all day. She doesn't even know this guy and she would be spending the day with him. On the other hand, that side of her that was a gentlemen's hostess, that side of her that enjoyed a man's company and attention, she couldn't wait to see him and be around him. Many women would kill to spend time with him, let alone get a picture with him, and here she was, dancing alone with him for an entire day. But as much as she thought about Inuyasha in that way, she knew that things would never go the way she could hope. Or at least, her fantasy of him with her.

' _Oh geez girl… next thing you know, you'll be dreaming of him.'_ That was something she definitely didn't want.

Time flew by and Kagome was ready and out of her apartment. By the time she knew it, she was stepping off the train and making her way to the dance academy. Miroku had told her that their group had access to the entire building. So all Kagome had to do was tell the receptionist to give her an access pass and she would be able to let herself in and out of wherever she needed to go. He also suggested that Inuyasha could give her a tour of the building. Miroku had given Inuyasha her number so he could call her if he needed to. But Kagome wanted to get there early to do some workouts before her dance lessons.

It was only 7am when she found herself standing outside the academy. Thankfully, the doors were open and she walked in, finding a very confused and surprised receptionist. The same woman. She needed to know her name.

"Oh. Good morning, miss. We just opened," the woman said with a smile, though apprehensive.

' _Hmm, must be wondering why I'm here.'_ "Good morning. My name is Kagome Saito. I'm a part of Kikyo's dance group."

"Ah, yes. Inuyasha had told us yesterday to be expecting you."

"He did?" she asked, surprised.

The woman nodded with a smile as she looked down at her desk and grabbed a keycard. She thrusted it at Kagome. "This is our keycard. It will grant you access into any room of the academy. The only doors it will not open is our main front doors. Our hours are from 7am to 9pm. Would you like me to give you a tour of our property?"

Kagome smiled with a shake of her head. This woman was so polite. "No, thank you. May I ask you for your name?"

"Oh," the woman said with a flush. "I'm sorry. My name is Ginger," she said with a bow of her head.

"Ginger. What a unique name."

She laughed. "Yes, I get that a lot. It was… interesting growing up in school with that name."

Kagome nodded her understanding and took her leave. She used the keycard to open the door and as she placed it against the sensor, she heard the door unlock. She smiled to herself, feeling so powerful now that she had a key to this place that was always a dream for her to step foot in. Now, she was able to go anywhere she wanted in here. And she would be training and dancing and practicing and working out in here. What were the chances?

She went to the first room on her left, the one she knew because she's been using it for the past couple of days. The keycard opened the door and she went to flip the switch on the wall. The room was the same as she's known it, only this time the table was gone and it was an empty room with mirror walls. The sound of the door clicking shut was the last she heard. She walked toward the middle of the room and just stood there, turning around to look at herself in all her many reflections.

Today she decided to wear black tights that had blue stripes down the sides with a white tank top that wasn't too revealing of her breasts but still, she did have big boobs so she couldn't help how much they showed themselves off no matter what she wore. She had put a lot of thought in her outfit, too much actually. She didn't want Inuyasha to be distracted by her body but in the same breath, she also did want him to notice her.

Kagome stopped turning around and just stared at one of her reflections. _'This is it, Kagome. Here you are. You made it.'_ She still couldn't believe that she was here, that this was her life now. It was so surreal and yet she was so grateful to be standing here in the complete silence of this empty room. Kagome took a deep breath and let it out, ready for her day. She smiled as she walked toward herself and placed her favorite blue backpack down against the mirror. She went to retrieve her bluetooth Beats and her iPad, then worked to sync them together.

The sound of the door's mechanical lock made her look up in surprise as the door opened and she watched Inuyasha walk in. He stopped in his tracks when his eyes met hers. _'What's he doing here so early?'_ she thought, now a little embarrassed and probably just as surprised as he was.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha said, breaking the silence between the two. He let go of the door handle and the door closed on its own. "What are you doing here so early?" He remembered Miroku had told her to meet him here at 8am. It was a little after seven and she was here already. Inuyasha smirked as he crossed his arms. "Eager, are we?"

Kagome arched her eyebrow and glared at him. He was very self-confident and a little obnoxious for her taste. But she found it humorous and a little sexy. _'Ugh… this is going to be a long day.'_ Her eyes took him in. He wore a white tank top like she did and she couldn't help but notice how much it showed off his ripped arms and his built body. Although she couldn't see his abs, she knew they were there if his arms were that ripped. He was definitely in shape. She couldn't tell from the past two days she saw him sitting at the table. But now, here while he was standing and ready to sweat, she definitely saw how fine and fit he really was. _'I really need to stop staring.'_

Kagome blushed and looked away, turning to look down at her iPad. "No. I just wanted to stretch and workout a little before I had to meet with you."

Inuyasha arched his eyebrow. Her commitment to this was one thing, but the fact that she still wanted to get an exercise in _before_ they began to practice, which would be a full workout on its own, showed that fitness was important to her. Which caught his attention, aside from what she decided to wear today. He shook his head, noticing how she was avoiding looking at him now. _'This might be an awkward day.'_

Inuyasha made his way over to her, watching as she kept busy on her iPad. He had worn his white tank top and black, loose pants, much like what she was wearing. He wanted to laugh and how in sync they were for two people who didn't know each other. On top of that, they were both here an hour early to workout before they actually had to 'work' out. He liked that about her already.

"So, you wake up early every morning?" he asked, trying to break the silence. He stopped short of her and took off his black backpack, setting it down against the mirror wall like she did and he took a seat facing her.

Kagome looked up, her eyes settling on his golden ones and she found herself lost. She needed to get over this feeling. This feeling like she could lose herself in his eyes, like she could find comfort in him. Maybe it was just a thing for now since she just met him and like all the other die-hard fans, she would drool over him. Yes, as time goes on, the more she looked at him and got acquainted with him, this feeling would go away.

She nodded. "Yeah. Depending on my day, I usually wake up early and do my exercise."

Inuyasha's eyes widened and he leaned back against the mirror. "What kind of exercises?"

Kagome shrugged, feeling the awkward between the two of them slowly begin to fade away. "I like to exercise. I feel like I need it, like it's a part of me, and if I don't do it, my body and my mind gets all sluggish and then I regret it. But anything works for me. Dancing. Taebo. High intensity interval training."

"Hmph, I do those too. Especially the dancing."

Kagome laughed. Inuyasha's ears flicked and he found himself enjoying her laughter. There was something innocent about her, the way she laughed was so carefree and joyful that he wanted to listen to her laugh all day. He smiled, watching her.

"I agree."

Inuyasha watched as Kagome smiled at him, her blue eyes dancing with joy, and he found himself liking this woman even more. She had a beautiful body, that was an understatement. From the moment he laid eyes on her when she walked into the audition, he couldn't take his eyes off her. And he also knew what his demon knew, which made him walk a thin line with her. _'How the hell, Inuyasha?'_ He was a little apprehensive about today's practice with her. It was just the two of them, no thanks to Miroku and Sango leaving him here alone with her. And as much as he didn't argue with being alone with Kagome, the more he thought about what he had to do with her, the more he got a little nervous. He actually was attracted to her, hell more than attracted if he asked his demon side. He never was attracted to anyone, not in over 100 years. But this human woman, with her alluring scent that made his demon crave more of it, he found himself unable to resist that desire for her. From both his human and demon side. As much as he was puzzled by it, he welcomed the feeling and would figure it out as he got to know her.

After a few minutes of them just staring at each other, and then Kagome being the first to look away with a blush, he broke the silence. "How about we get to practicing then?"

Kagome looked up at him. "Okay," she said. "I need to stretch first, though."

Inuyasha nodded. "We'll stretch and then we can start practice. That way, I can see your dance style."

Kagome smirked, her eyes dancing. "You already did."

He shrugged. "This time will be different." She nodded her agreement.

The two of them spent the next couple of minutes getting whatever they needed out of their backpacks and Kagome stood to walk to the center of the room. It was hard not to watch Inuyasha because of all the mirrors in this room. _'For crying out loud.'_ It's not like she could go to a corner and stretch by herself because he would obviously see her wherever she went. She had to contain her giggle at the thought process behind the making of this room. Of course she knew why. Dancers needed to see themselves and their teachers in order to learn the moves and critique themselves. And Kagome was sure that once she was used to being around Inuyasha, she wouldn't care for the mirrors as much as she did now.

With a sigh, Kagome spread her legs and bent forward, feeling her back crack and the muscles in her back stretch out as she let her body submit to the feeling. She sighed heavily, her body waking up, feeling the release in the stretch after a night at work. As she did so, she grabbed each legs one at a time, stretching out her hamstrings. The whole time she tried hard not to look at Inuyasha, who she could feel staring at her. And then she heard him move and he was standing in front of her. She brought her head up and slowly rose until she stood with her legs still spread wide apart.

Inuyasha chuckled. "You do yoga?"

Such a simple question, and yet she felt so… vulnerable. It was different being with him rather than with one of her clients. Here, she felt like he controlled her where at Midnite, she controlled her clients.

"Yes. Sometimes, when I need to take a break or when I overdo my body."

Inuyasha nodded. He lifted his arms and she watched as he began to braid his hair. She noticed how thick and long his hair was as he made quick do of it. She couldn't help but wonder how long it took him to grow it out. Inuyasha caught her staring at him and she blushed, standing up straight to shake out her legs.

"You know… you make me nervous," Kagome said, turning around to put a little more distance between them. From the moment he came into the room, hell from the moment she saw him at her audition, she could feel something pulling between them. She didn't know what it was but she was sure that she hadn't felt this way before with anyone.

"Oh?" Inuyasha arched his eyebrow, watching her backside as she walked away. "How so?"

Kagome shrugged, using the momentum to swing her arms back and forth until she was able to bring one up in front of her chest, one at a time. She held the arm in front of her and pulled it against her chest, turning around to face him again.

"I don't know," she said truthfully. "There's something about you that makes me nervous."

"Nervous? Or excited?" he asked with a smirk. Kagome huffed, now thinking that he's an arrogant jerk.

Inuyasha laughed, seeing her irritation clearly on her face. "Never mind." He finished his hair and walked back over to his bag. He fished out his iPod and set it to bluetooth, waiting for it to connect to the system in the room.

"Let's start," he said, putting his iPod in his pants pocket.

"Aren't you going to stretch out?"

Inuyasha shook his head. "Nah. Don't need to."

Kagome rolled her eyes. _'He is a hanyou.'_ No more words were spoken as the music began. It was one of Kikyo's songs, 'Who's Got You?', one of the songs Kagome liked from Kikyo. She smiled to herself and nodded her head to the beat, closing her eyes. The words began to flood the room as Kikyo's voice spoke about a love that had gotten away from her and deserted her. Now, Kikyo was looking for him and asking who had him. Kagome was grateful that now she could put Kikyo's face to the words and hopefully get to know her more where she could understand the depth of her songs.

"Like it?"

Inuyasha's voice brought her out of her thoughts and she opened her eyes to look at him.

"I like this song."

Inuyasha nodded. "I'll teach you this song first then since you know it. It's a straightforward number and we usually open our nights with it because it's a crowd-favorite." Inuyasha turned from her and went to stand in the middle of the room. The two of them stood a couple of feet apart with Inuyasha a little in front of her so she could either watch his reflection in the mirror or watch him in front of her.

"I'll do the choreography first, then I'll break it down and we can do it together." Kagome nodded her understanding as they looked at each other in the mirror.

Once the second verse came, Inuyasha moved. Kagome watched as his body simply obeyed him and he moved with such fluid and grace that she was instantly attracted to him. Not technically that kind of attraction, although that was there too. The physical attraction she felt for him was two-fold. She watched as he brought his hands up and opened his fingers once the music picked up its pace into the chorus. He swayed his body twice and then double-stepped forward into a twirl that ended on one leg. He threw his hands up and then dipped them down to scoop up air onto his chest. She nodded her head to the beat of the music as she watched him. He was beautiful to watch, the way his body moved, the way his muscles flexed. She wanted him. She wanted to dance with him. She honestly didn't know if her wants were the same or different. She felt like the two of them would do well dancing together and that was the attraction that she felt the minute he began to dance. There was something about the way he danced, much like her, that he put his feelings and emotions into his moves. As if no one else was in the room but him. _'Wow. He's amazing!'_ Inuyasha punched the air twice as the chorus ended and he stopped, even though the song went straight into the bridge. His eyes then connected with hers and she blinked out of her stupor.

"Got it?" he asked, barely huffing.

Kagome gulped and nodded her head with a smile. She could do that. It would take her a few tries, but most of his moves were easy to figure out and repeat, even though majority of the time she was ogling at his body.

"Do the verses all have the same moves?"

Inuyasha nodded as he made his way back to Kagome. "Yeah. The bridge is different, but the verses are the same moves. We kept it simple since she does this song often at events." He placed his hands on his hips and sized her up. She looked ready and he felt excited to watch her and dance with her. "Okay. Let's start with the first eight count."

Inuyasha turned around and gazed at her in the mirror. He fished out his iPod, turned the music off, and then focused on her again. "The first eight count is pretty easy and the beat never changes until the third eight count." Kagome nodded her understanding.

He started to move, counting the beat out a little slower than the normal pace, and his feet moved along the ground. She noticed that he was focusing only on the feet. He did a quick cha-cha to the right two times and then forward once with a jump to his left and then a hop-step back twice and then ending on his left leg. Kagome nodded as he looked at her to see if she got it. She held up one finger and thankfully he got the hint. He did it once more, counting out the eight count and only moving his feet.

"Got it."

"Think so."

Inuyasha turned around to watch her and he clapped his hands. "Ready. Set. Go." He counted out the eight count and Kagome moved to the sound of his voice. "One, two…" he said as she did her cha-cha step, only counting out her right foot. "Three, four," counting her step forward with her right foot and then a small jump to her left. "Five, six, seven," counting her hop-steps back twice with the right leg. "Eight!" he said just as she ended forward on her left leg.

Inuyasha looked pleased and Kagome smiled at him, excited that she's getting it so far. "Told you it was easy."

Kagome smiled playfully at him. "Well, maybe it's too easy for me." Inuyasha arched his eyebrow at her and made a face as if he was accepting her challenge. She giggled and noticed his ears twitch. _'Wow… they're so cute.'_

"Alright. Do it again." This time, he turned around and counted the eight count as they both did it together. Inuyasha watched her the whole time. He noticed that she didn't even need to watch him this time around. She already got the feet down and did it easily. He watched her facial expression and the way she smiled at herself in the mirror like she was having fun. _'What is with this woman?'_ he thought, wondering what it was about her. _'I can't be falling for her…'_ But the more he tried to convince himself otherwise, the more his instincts knew the truth.

"Okay. You got that down easily. Let's move to the hands."

This time, Inuyasha did the eight count on his own. For his cha-chas, he threw his hands up in the air in time with his steps on his right leg and his left leg was when his hands came down only shoulder height. His forward step was with his hand stretched outward in front of his body and then his jump onto his left leg was with his arms falling down to his side with a little attitude. For his two right, one left back steps, he brought his knees up a little higher while his hands swooped up from his sides to end up at his chest, palms facing outward in front of him. Then, his last step forward on his left was with his left hand coming down but his right hand crossing his chest to put his arm on his left shoulder.

Inuyasha locked eyes with her and she put her finger up again. He nodded with a smile and did the eight count again. She moved at times with him, finding her body naturally moving with his. Inuyasha noticed and had to admire her dance style. Sometimes it took dancers days to learn one routine and sometimes it took them one hour. Kagome was one of those talented few who could learn a routine quickly and he could tell why. She loved dancing and her body naturally was designed for it.

"Okay. I think I got it. But I'm sure I'm gonna have to do it a few times before I really get it."

"Okay. How about we do it three times with the count and then I'll try it with the music?"

Kagome nodded at his suggestion and he faced forward. "Ready. Set. Go." He counted out and moved with her, the two of them looking at their reflections. He noticed that a couple of times she messed up but she found her rhythm again and picked up as soon as she could. She stopped and stood still on the fifth count but kept her hands moving with him until the eighth.

"I just have to get the hands and feet to move together." Inuyasha nodded his understanding and did his starting command again. The two of them moved again, he watching Kagome as she moved and watched him. This time, she got it down.

"Alright," Inuyasha said with a smile. He was surprised at how well she was picking this up. Granted it was only the first eight count to their first song but still. She was good. And his hopes for her to learn all fifteen numbers within three months were now high. He saw great potential in her, especially in the way she moved. But then again, he noticed that the first time he watched her dance.

"How about we just do it with the music?"

Kagome agreed. Inuyasha fished out his iPod to replay the song. The beat came on and the room filled with the bass of the music. He watched as she moved side to side, her body sexy and sensual, waiting for the eight count to come up.

The part came up and he counted down, the two of them moving in sync to the rhythm. He never counted out the eight step but wanted her to catch on with the beat of the music. And she did. Kagome moved her feet in time with his and her hands followed. She got the first eight count down with a breeze.

"One more time." He wanted to watch her one more time. He replayed the song and turned to watch her this time, though she didn't look at him. She stared at her reflection but her face showed her concentration. "Let yourself go this time." He wanted to see what she could do. They had been here for less than an hour and he could tell that she had more to give. He saw the way her eyes twinkled as she looked at him and nodded.

The next verse came and she moved. She got all the movements down and was on time with the beat. This time, he saw her own attitude come out as she got comfortable. Inuyasha watched as she jumped onto her left foot and dipped her hips with a snap before she went into the hop-step back. She added more flavor to her hop-steps and he couldn't help but notice the way her breasts bounced as she hopped backwards and the way her hips swayed. She ended with her hand on her opposite shoulder but now her left hand ended on her hip with a sway in her hips as she got out of the pose.

"How was that?" Kagome asked, huffing a bit but her adrenaline was high. She couldn't help but feel the thrill of excitement at the way Inuyasha was watching her, not only with that stare as his eyes took in her body, but she saw his amazement and approval. And that meant a lot.

Inuyasha cleared his throat and crossed his arms as the song went on without them. "That was good. You learn really fast, Kagome."

He said her name. She felt her heart slam in her chest and she blinked as the realization hit her. She wasn't Sapphire. Even though she felt like it because she knew nothing else, even though she danced like Sapphire and even though she appreciated his eyes on her because Sapphire always had men's eyes on her, lusting after her body… she was not Sapphire here. Here, she was Kagome. Here, Inuyasha was watching her, not the stage her, not the darkness her. But he was watching and appreciating her, _Kagome_. That was alarming to her and she had to stop moving to the music to catch herself from tripping.

"Hey," Inuyasha said. "Are you okay?"

He made his way over to her and Kagome smiled to herself. _'He noticed.'_

Inuyasha reached out to her and Kagome jerked back, regaining her composure immediately as took a step back, out of his reach. Inuyasha glared at her and placed his hands on his hips.

"What the hell was that for?"

Kagome frowned at his brusque attitude and shook her head. "Sorry," she said, fixing her shirt. "I… don't like to be touched." She had to be honest with him. He _was_ her boss. Plus, she was in a dance group and she had no doubt that she would have to be touching or be touched by others so it was inevitable. And yet, she still dreaded that future possibility.

"You're kidding, right?" he said with an incredulous look. "You _do_ know that you're in a dance group?"

Kagome glared back at him. "I know that," she said, seething. _'What the hell is his problem?'_

Inuyasha pressed his lips together, his eyes hard on her. "Whatever. That's your problem. And you better get over it." He turned and fished his iPod out to shut the music up.

"Or what?" she asked, now crossing her arms.

Inuyasha turned around to look back at her, now clearly pissed that she decided to challenge him. No one ever did, at least not like this. Everyone in their dance group knew and respected him as their leader and inevitably their boss. They listened to him and did what he told them to when it came to dancing and to their job. But here was this woman, not even hired for more than a day, and she was already talking back to him. _'Who the hell does she think she is?'_

He made his way to her, covering the distance between them, and he swore he could feel the heat radiating from her. She was obviously mad at what he said. The way she crossed her arms over her chest only made her breasts call out to him and he looked down. She noticed and quickly uncrossed her arms, making him laugh but obviously irritating her as she felt her aura change. He stopped laughing the second he looked into her eyes. Her blue eyes were on fire, now a dark blue, almost violet, amazing him that her eyes could change color like that. He thought he was imagining it, but as he blinked, her eyes were still like violet. _'What the hell? She's not a demon. That much I can sense…'_ But her eyes were different as she glared at him with her hands on her hips.

"What?!" Kagome said, wondering why Inuyasha was staring at her when a minute ago he couldn't stop staring at her boobs. He had the nerve to threaten her and then to be a perv and stare at her boobs. He was her boss. That had to be sexual harassment.

Inuyasha blinked again and growled, making Kagome catch herself as her anger disappeared. "Never mind. Do whatever you want. But get over that problem of yours."

He made his way a few feet in front of her, needing to distance himself from her. There was something electric between them, something he couldn't figure out what, but he was drawn to her. Now he was sure it wasn't just her looks or her body or even the way she moved- it was _her_. From the good, the way she laughed so carefree, to the bad, the way her eyes burned at him. He sighed. Right now, he just wanted to get this day over with. He didn't want to be around her any longer than he had to.

"Let's finish this number and then be done with the day."

Kagome frowned, hearing his upset and hoping that she didn't ruin her chances of being in the group. She was technically on probation until the concert in Hawai'i ended. But then again, they needed her so why would they fire her? And still, Inuyasha was Kikyo's choreographer and main leader of her dance group so it was safe to say that whatever Inuyasha wanted when it came to the dance group, Kagome was sure that he would get it. And if he wanted to fire her for talking back to him, then he probably could. Kagome sighed, hoping she didn't screw things up. _'But I'm not apologizing to him.'_ That she was sure of. He didn't know anything about her and so he had no right to demand her to change for him.

The two of them got back to the dance as Inuyasha began to count out another eight count. This time, they did the chorus and it was a little bit more complicated than the verse. The chorus had a sixteen count that was a mix of fast and slow counts so she had to get used to the feet before she could even incorporate the hands into it. The whole time they practiced, Inuyasha was attentive to her and helped her through her tries. She was a little frustrated with herself a few times when they added the music in and did the entire routine, but he just told her to keep trying and they would do it over and over until she got it. She had to give it to him. He was very professional and did his job as her boss even after that weird 'fight' they had.

"Alright, that's it for today."

Kagome used her tank top to wipe the sweat from her eyes. She was tired, trying to catch her breath but she felt great. She had a good workout for the day and it only took her an hour to learn the entire routine for one song. But she had to admit, she was enjoying herself with him and was a little disappointed that they only did an hour of practice and that was it for the day.

Inuyasha turned to look at her and his eyes fell on her flat stomach as she wiped the sweat from her eyes with her tank top, revealing her white sports bra underneath. His eyes lingered on her skin and her curves, finding her sexy just standing there all sweaty and tired. He couldn't take his eyes off her.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome called, snapping him out of his stupor as he blinked and his eyes found hers. "You should get your eyes checked out." It took him a few seconds to register what she just said, and he watched as her eyes lit up and she tried to suppress her laugh. He suddenly realized that he was caught red-handed and she was teasing him. The two of them burst out laughing.

"You should keep your shirt on then," he accused and made his way towards his bag. She watched him as she sat down, her legs spread out as she began to touch her toes to stretch out her muscles.

"Are we really done?" That was faster than she thought today was going to be.

Inuyasha nodded without looking behind at her. "Yeah. That's good enough for today. Tomorrow we can do a lot more now that I know how you move. I think we can learn the transitions for this song and do another one, or two, tomorrow."

He stood, slinging his backpack on his shoulder, and turned to see Kagome on the ground, her legs spread wide at him. He took a breath, breathing in her scent. He couldn't get enough of her. Even now that she was sweaty, he found that he loved the smell of her. It was her scent that was driving him mad and he needed to get away from her to figure things out.

"Inuyasha… I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier."

There. She said it. Now if he decided to fire her, at least she tried to fix the situation. She couldn't say she didn't try.

Inuyasha shook his head, "Don't worry about it." Kagome shook her head.

"No. It really was my fault. I shouldn't have gone off on you. Maybe… maybe I can get over it, like you said. But, I'm just not sure."

Inuyasha felt something inside him go soft at the sound of her voice. She sounded broken, almost like she resigned to her fate. He didn't like hearing that from her. "What caused it?"

Kagome looked away from him with a frown. She was definitely not going to tell him, but she also didn't want to lie to him. He was only trying to understand her dislike of not being touched. And she could feel he was being sincere or else he would've just left already as it was obvious he wanted to leave. "It's something to do with my past." She looked up at him with a sad smile. "It's complicated." That's all she could give him. She hoped it was enough.

Inuyasha waited, noticing the way her heart beat just a little faster but she said nothing more. He saw the shadows in her eyes and knew that something had happened in her past that was haunting her now, leading to her fear of people touching her. Whatever had happened, he was curiously interested in what it was, just so he didn't have to see her sad smile. _'I don't know what it is about this woman… damn it all to hell!'_

Inuyasha sighed. "Whatever. Your past is your past. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." He could relate to that. "But I'm just telling you… you're in a dance group now. At times we touch each other during our routines so you have to get over it if you wanna be here."

Kagome nodded her understanding. "I will try. I promise."

He took that as his leave. He made his way towards the door with a wave over his head. "See ya tomorrow at 8." The door closed behind him, leaving Kagome alone to stretch out.

What a morning. It went much faster and smoother than she thought. She was grateful that Inuyasha was her teacher. He was a great teacher and he was patient with her, even though she sort of caught on to the routine much faster than they both thought. She was sure that he wouldn't hold back tomorrow and he would have more in store for her. So tomorrow she would have to be ready. Kagome moved so that she was kneeling and opened her ankles up so that she could drop her butt onto the floor and bring her back down to the floor. She moaned as her quads stretched out to the point of pain after dancing, but she enjoyed the stretch.

' _What is it about him? Inuyasha… he's so hot!'_ Kagome hummed to herself. _'But it's not just that. There's something about him that I'm drawn to. The way we dance together…'_ She thought about how the morning went. The two of them were in sync together and they watched each other dance instead of focusing on their own movements. They were timing each other, moving with the other even though they stayed a few feet apart to give them enough space to move. And the both of them added their own flare to the routine, which complimented each other perfectly. They could've been doing a duet and no one would've known that it was a group dance. Now she wondered how it would go once everyone was involved and how the transitions went for this song. _'Doesn't matter. I just love how we dance so well together.'_

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

The club was pumping tonight, being that it was a Saturday night and all the young bloods were out getting themselves into trouble. He could smell the sweat thick in the air, people's scents mixing together and giving him that momentary nauseous feeling. It only hit him for a couple of seconds and then it was gone. He was grateful for the necklace that his mother had specially made for him. His mother knew how sensitive his senses of hearing and smell were as an inu-hanyou so she had asked his father for something for him to combat the obstacles that he would surely face with the line of profession that he had chosen. It was difficult to be an inu-hanyou who was a professional dancer but who also was still young by youkai standards and who still loved to go to the club and have fun with his friends. His father understood his mother's fears and had asked his close and long-time friend, Tōtōsai, to make an enchanted necklace for his youngest son that would help his inu-hanyou heightened senses. Tōtōsai had created the enchantment spells for his father and his half-brother too, as their senses were much more greater than his. Tōtōsai created the perfect enchantment spell for him and cast it into the rosary bead necklace that he now wore everyday. It had the power lessen the effects on his ears and nose when it sensed his jyaki getting overwhelmed. He had become used to many of the sounds and smells of this era, after a century of living, but he still faced many challenges that not even he can get used to. His hanyou abilities were too sensitive to many things in this modern era and he was grateful to his parents for thinking of getting him this rosary necklace. It was his saving grace. Now, he could do his job and enjoy it, especially when he had to dance at a concert, on stage when the speakers would've blown out his ears. Or he could walk into a nightclub, like now, and not be overwhelmed by the smell of sweat, sex and alcohol or the sounds of the music that pumped through his blood and made everyone around him jump to their feet and start dancing at the adrenaline rush. He could blend in.

Inuyasha made his way through the throng of people. RUSH was a club that many young people loved to go to as the music changed throughout the night and every night. Tonight it was a mix of hip-hop, pop and electronic, so many young people came to RUSH to get their nighttime fix. And possibly get laid. Everyone knew that RUSH was owned by the Fujimoto family, a powerful inu-youkai family, his family, and so humans and youkai alike came here for a good night. No matter the age, they flocked here because of the family name and nights like these, when they were packed to the max and had to turn guests away. It was easier to reserve online for a higher price than pay a cheaper price at the door by standing in line and hoping to get in.

Inuyasha flicked his ears as he heard a group of girls laughing as they were bouncing up and down to the beat of electro music. He sniffed and turned from them, not one of them interesting him at the moment. He had an itch, that was the whole reason he came, and he needed it scratched immediately. He made his way over to the bar, pushing through a mass of people just to get there. Some women were all hands on him and tried to get him to stop but he paid no mind. He wanted a drink, a few drinks, and then he would be settled enough to find someone to help solve his problem.

Making his way to the bar, Inuyasha noticed that it was packed from end to end. Literally every seat was taken at the bar and there were rows of people standing behind the barstools waiting for their drinks. He growled impatiently. _'This isn't my day.'_ And his day had started off so well but then ended so wrong.

Someone bumped into him, shaking him from his thoughts. He looked down to see a young woman with long black hair that stuck to her sweaty face, too much makeup for his taste, especially with that red lipstick, but she was hot. Her skintight blue dress clung to her skinny body, showing off a lot of her cleavage. She wore black high heels that brought her up to his shoulders. He smirked. She was good looking enough to satisfy his need. He had a simple need and he didn't have high standards besides the fact that they just needed to be down to satisfy him.

"Oh. Sorry." Once she turned to get a good look at him, her smile got wider and her eyes became sultry. He watched her take him in. His hair was down and he wore a black shirt with 'Fire' in red kanji on the front while he had jeans pants. He could smell the alcohol on her and sensed that she was already buzzed and feeling good. She probably came to get more and continue her dancing haze.

"No problem." She reached out to grab his left arm, bringing his arm against her to rub her body up and down his arm.

"Hi, baby. You waiting for a drink?"

Inuyasha noticed that she was an American by her accent. Perfect. This would be easier than he thought, with no strings attached and he probably won't see her again since she was a foreigner.

He nodded and she giggled.

"I love your ears. I hear that many Japanese people love to dress up and wear all sorts of weird things. Back at home, no one does that. But I like the culture here. It's unique."

Little did she know it wasn't a costume. Japan was different from other countries in that they knew their history and accepted that other countries would never understand. Their culture believed in demons and humans. Many Japanese still lived in their disbelief and still rejected the fact that demons exist. They lost their belief and faith in mikos and demons so some of the modern day Shintoism has lost its power. One would have to go into the deeper, rural parts of Japan to find the stronger mikos still training and helping those youkai who needed their spells. There were also many Japanese who believed in demons and so not all covered up when living in their country. There were some youkai who had to disguise themselves because they were too different, their bodies were too demon-like, too deformed, or just too scary to live amongst people, let alone visiting foreigners. The enchantment spells that many youkai paid for would have the power to help them live in this modern day society, whether that be with just lessening the impact on their demon senses or if that would be to cover up what they truly looked like. Japanese culture was very quiet and they liked to keep to themselves. But once demons decided to leave their native land, that's where the enchantment spells came into play. Youkai always had to have their spells to conceal their true identity lest the world came against Japan if they knew the power that this country could wield if all the demons stood together for their country.

This woman was one of those who had no idea of youkai existing in this world. And he couldn't care less what she thought of his ears.

"You want a drink?" She nodded her head and he nodded, turning to the bar and pushing his way through with her clinging to his arm. He needed her close so that she didn't go running away. She was his ticket to having his need taken cared of and he was going to use her so long as she didn't have a problem with it.

Inuyasha had to wait a little as the crowd got thicker the closer he got to the bar. But once he was there, he waited his turn until a waiter came up to him. The bar was lit with neon blue lights under the glass bar and above. The wall of the bar was lined with glass cups and a variety of alcohol.

A waiter stepped up and caught Inuyasha's eyes, his eyes going wide for a moment, and he was suddenly smiling at Inuyasha.

"Fujimoto-sama. How may I help you?"

Everyone around him was grumbling that he was helped before the rest of them but he paid no mind to them, neither did the waiter. They obviously didn't know who owned this club.

"A bottle of a Junmai Ginjo for me. And…" he turned to look at the woman hanging onto his arm.

"Can I just have double Bourbon on the rocks?"

The waiter smiled with a nod and got to work. He fished out the finest bottle of sake for Inuyasha and dug a cup into the ice, then poured bourbon to the rim for the woman. Inuyasha didn't even think to ask for her name. He honestly didn't care. She wouldn't see him again after this.

They both took their drinks and the waiter bowed low towards him. He nodded his thanks and turned around just as the throng of people closed behind him. He made his way with his new friend out of the bar area and into the blinding disco lights. It took him a moment to get used to it, and he stood facing the dance floor area where the DJ was high on his platform throwing his hands in the air. The crowd was going wild, following his hand movements as the lights poured down on their bodies and danced around them like floating green leaves.

He opened his bottle of sake and began to chug half the bottle without even thinking. The feel of the smooth liquid going down his throat was what he wanted right now. He needed to get a buzz before he went with the woman upstairs. He felt her release his arm and knew she was getting a drink from her own cup.

"So!" she yelled, trying to get him to hear her though he could hear her perfectly without the yelling. "Where are you from!"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, tossing the cap onto the floor and grabbed her free hand. "Come!" He led her through the crowd and made his way with her towards one of the stairs that led to the second floor. There were two stairs, one on either side of the bar. Once you turned around to face the dance floor after getting your drink, you could head up to the second floor on either side of the room. Inuyasha finally made it to the bottom of the stairs, heading up as some people walked down. He kept drinking while he walked up, all the while his eyes scanning the crowd. He didn't notice anyone he knew but he watched as people danced with each other. He made his way to the top and tugged her along behind him.

The second floor of RUSH was known as the lounge area. It was a wraparound deck with balcony views so that those who wanted a better look of the whole club could come up and peer down, while also dancing along the railings to the music. The lounge area had two lounges, one on either side of the DJ. The floor opened up to a big lounge area where the lighting changed to a dark red neon. There were couches set up in the huge area with tables for drinks and people were littered on the couches, some women sitting in men's laps and some going at it on the couches, a lust fueled by alcohol and music. Inuyasha glanced at the lounge area and kept walking.

"Hey! Where are we going!"

He didn't stop to answer. He finished his drink and bent to place the bottle down along the wall of the lounge as they simply passed by the open area. Between both lounge areas, the wraparound balcony connected behind the DJ stage. But it was more narrow for mostly passing through, but some dancers still decided to stand at the railings. The reason why most wouldn't stand on this side of the wraparound was because of the black 'wall'. But the black wall between the two lounges had hidden rooms that were made for the more adventurous and those looking for a bit more privacy. The doors had a red light above them that lit up once the occupants inside locked the door. Inuyasha scanned all the red lights and noticed one in the middle of darkness behind the DJ. He usually went for those furtherest away from the mass population.

He just started to feel a small effect from the sake, the bubbling in his stomach was the sign that the sake would help to calm his nerves soon. He needed to get in the mood, which wasn't too hard considering what was on his mind, but he wanted to be a bit buzzed before they started. _'One bottle of sake is not going to help. Even though it was premium sake.'_ Because of his youkai blood, he would need a few more bottles before he even felt buzzed. But one was all he was gonna get. He wasted no time.

Inuyasha made his way behind the DJ, swerving through the people who remained along the balcony railings, and opened an empty room. He went in first, the dark red lights softly illuminating the room, giving the occupants only enough to see what they needed to do. He pulled the woman behind inside and closed the door, locking it and knowing that the red light above the door would go on immediately.

The woman was about to say something when he backed her against the wall and bent his head to the crook of her neck, sucking her neck strong enough to leave a mark. That was all the woman needed. Her body went limp in his arms and he held her against him, loving the feel of a woman in his arms. They were all the same and all felt the same. They all gave him what he wanted in the end and if they were good, he would give them one right back.

She moaned, managing to hold her drink in one hand while using her other to wrap around his neck, keeping him there. She smelt of alcohol, bourbon, and perfume. It was a strong perfume, one he didn't know and didn't care for. He scrunched his nose at the need to get rid of the smell, but he wanted her to want him before he got what he needed. They were more willing when they were turned on.

Suddenly, Kagome's face flashed in his mind and his eyes flew open. _'Fuck! Damn that girl!'_ He instantly got hard, not from sucking on this woman's neck, or from her arousal that he could smell but wasn't doing anything for him. His arousal was from the memory of Kagome. Her beautiful blue eyes and the way they turned a shade darker when she was arguing with him. The way she moved on the floor, the two of them in sync as they danced together. On a deeper level, he knew that the two of them would be great dancers together, but only if she let him. He remembered the way her body looked in that tank top and pants, the way her breasts would move as he watched her in the mirrors. She was on his mind the entire day and he couldn't get her out of his head.

His erection was starting to hurt now, demanding he take care of it. Or at least, this woman did.

"Suck me off," he said roughly, biting her left earlobe and hearing a louder moan escape her lips. Her voice was nothing like Kagome's, her scent nothing like Kagome's, but she would do. He needed to control his demon and his desire for Kagome.

The woman obeyed instantly, too high from the alcohol and his sucking. She dropped to her knees slowly, leaving her drink on the ground to the side of her, and her hands felt up his thighs to the front of his pants. He could see her perfectly in the dimly lit room but he knew that it was harder for her to see him and she had to feel around to find what she wanted. The room was only bright enough to see silhouettes of each other. He watched as she licked her lips, unbuttoning and unzipping his pants. His blood roared in his ears as his dick was freed in a second. She grabbed onto him forcefully, making him growl lustfully.

"Put me in your mouth."

She obliged, taking the head of his dick into her mouth, and sucked loudly. He was still dry and needed her saliva to get him wet enough for her to slide him in and out, so he waited as she worked him. Her right hand went to the base of his dick while the other went to his balls and she started to stroke his balls in time with the pull and push of her mouth on him. He moaned, closing his eyes. But then, he would see Kagome's face. He growled in frustration and slapped his right palm on the wall in front of him, frustrated that he couldn't get her out of his mind even now. _'Fuck!'_ He grabbed a fistful of the woman's hair with his left hand and helped her to suck him off.

Her moans filled the room along with the pounding music outside. The door wasn't soundproof in case the occupants wanted to have sex with the background music. But the walls of the room were soundproof so they could have a little privacy without being interrupted or distracted by the sounds coming from either side. The vibration from her moans made his balls clench and her mouth made his dick wet enough for her to slide him in and out.

' _That's it.'_ He closed his eyes and thrusted his hips forward in time with her bobbing head. He listened to her breathing to make sure that she was okay with his thrusting. She didn't have him entirely in her mouth, not nearly half of him, but he would get off with her mouth on him. Inuyasha moaned and threw his head back, loving the feel of her mouth. The blood in his veins pumped to his cock and he bunched her hair a little tighter, gaining a warning touch of her hand on his thigh as she stopped fondling his balls. He tried to ease back a little, so as not to scare her or make her stop, but he already found his rhythm and he would be coming.

She worked him good. Her moans continued, vibrating on his dick, and her mouth sucked him hard. She had done this before. She was good at it. He bent his head and looked down, watching as his dick went in and out of her red lips. That turned him on even more and his balls tightened, the tell-tale sign he was going to come. _'Yes. Yes.'_ He needed this so bad. The feeling started in his toes and went straight to his balls, continuing to his dick where he swelled. He felt the first ripple of his orgasm and groaned it out, coming into her mouth with such force that her hands went to the base of his dick, pushing him back but he continued surging forward. She would take him. He pumped into her mouth a few more times, watching as she scrunched her eyes and tears formed. He moaned loudly, getting out all his frustration and energy in his release.

As soon as the wave crashed over him, he released her hair, allowing her to pull her head back and he watched as she swallowed his seed, leaning her head behind her against the wall. _'Hmmm… she's done this many times.'_ He brought his hand up to wipe his hair off his drenched forehead. Finally, he got what he needed and he felt much better.

"Mmmm, you taste good," she said, looking up at him as she knelt there on the floor between him and the wall. "Do I get one?"

Inuyasha smirked. He wasn't in the mood to lick her but he would finger her. That was all she was getting from him but it would be payment for what she gave him. He pushed off the wall with his hand and put himself back in his pants, noticing that her lipstick was all smudged, which reminded him that he would have to take a good shower to get her lipstick off his dick. He growled at the thought of it but then bent to grab her under her arms and lift her up easily. Her eyes were wide as he stood her up in front of him, and then they went lazy, hooded with lust.

"You're so strong." She ran her hands up his arms to his chest, moving up to cup his jaw, and he knew what she wanted.

"No kissing."

That said, he turned around where he knew in the corner, there would be a marble countertop that was free-floating, only attached to the wall in two places but held up by strong iron brackets. He lifted her easily onto the marble top, running his hands up her thighs to pull her dress up, giving him access. He could hear her blood pumping and her heart racing, her breath coming out in gasps. She was turned on, he could smell her arousal. He reached to move her panty aside and his predictions were true, as always. She was wet. He used the pad of his thumb and found her clit, rubbing around as his middle finger played around at her entrance.

"Oh! Baby!" she reached under his shirt to touch his skin, feeling along his abs and up to his chest.

"I know what you want," Inuyasha said deeply, moving closer. He brought one knee under the marble top, pushing her right leg further open. He braced himself with his back leg and moved his head down to her neck, licking her racing pulse. "You want me."

"Yes!" she said, nodding vigorously.

"Good."

Without another word, Inuyasha slammed his middle finger into her as he moved his head back, knowing that she would scream. And she did. She screamed loudly and begged for more. So he pumped his finger in and out of her. When she began to toss her head back and forth, he added his index finger and used his thumb to rub her clit even more. The smell of her sex was heady. She licked her lips and he watched her face as the pleasure overtook her. Inuyasha smirked and continued his assault, seeing that tell-tale sign faster than he thought it would come. Her eyes flew open, looking wildly around in the dark until she saw his eyes, and her hands came out of his shirt to grab onto his biceps.

"Oh baby. You're so good at this," she said in gasps. "You're going to make me come!" At that moment, she did, her legs shuddering at the intensity and her mouth opening wide in a scream. He just watched her, the way her face scrunched in ecstasy as the wave washed over her, to the way her face relaxed in content as she came down from her orgasm. He grunted and withdrew his fingers, letting her fix herself up. He reached under the marble top, grabbing the disinfectant wipes that he knew was there. He pulled a couple out, wiped his fingers clean, and tossed it into the small wastebasket next to the wipes.

Inuyasha looked up at her and straightened himself out, fixing his clothes. "Thanks for that." Without waiting for a reply, he turned and left her. He didn't care what she wanted from him after that. All he knew was that he got what he wanted and it was time for him to leave.

Inuyasha came out of the room and closed the door behind him. He sniffed, taking in the smells of sweat and alcohol, erasing the smell of that woman's sex. His ears twitched, hearing the sounds of a woman moaning to the right of him, catching his attention. He ignored it and walked along the balcony. He made his way past all the dancing bodies and down the stairs. Now, it was time to push his way through the throngs of people. He only had one destination in mind. He needed to get to the rooftop. It was late and he wanted to go to bed, feeling sated but needing a bath, still feeling that woman on him. That he didn't like. He made his way through all the dancing bodies and found the elevator near the entrance, pushing the button and waiting for doors to open. He noticed a bouncer to his right drag out an unruly drunk man by the arm and he smiled to himself, shaking his head. He saw the elevator coming down through the glass wall with no one inside, which he was grateful for. The elevator dinged and the doors opened. He went in and pressed "R", then mashed on the closed doors so that the doors would hurry up and close before anyone got in. As the doors closed, the elevator began its ascent and through the glass walls he was able to see the entire dance floor cluttered with moving bodies. Once he got to the third floor, it was darkness and the dim yellow lights of the elevator were all that illuminated him as he waited for the rooftop. He crossed his arms, just as the elevator slowed down and he was greeted by the sight of the rooftop.

The doors opened and he stepped out into the night air, just as people walked past him to get into the elevator. The air up here was fresh but the smell of sweat and alcohol still lingered. The rooftop was another part of RUSH that he liked the most because of the open air, and being that he was the one who had told his father to construct a rooftop floor. He wanted a place where he, and any other demon, could go to escape the overwhelming smells in the building below. Up here, once you exit the elevator, you are greeted by a long line of water fountains that shot twelve feet high with dancing lights in the pond. Along the wall above the elevator door was a huge rectangular LED display screen that showed the DJ's point of view as there was a mounted camera behind the DJ that looked out at the entire crowd downstairs. It was a way for the rooftop crowd to still be in on the action without having to really be inside that mass of bodies. The music was the same up here too, playing from the loud speakers on the side of the LED screen and along edges of the rooftop placed strategically with hidden plants and sculptures to try and keep the illusion of it being a rooftop setting and not so much a club. He liked it.

The rooftop was busy, considering it was a Saturday, and people were dancing up on the concrete edges of the water fountains. Some sat and drank together while some danced on the side of the fountains. He made his way past the people and went to the opposite end of the elevator, to the edge of the building, gazing out at the city. Lights were on as far as he could see, buildings blocking his view of the land beyond. Inuyasha sighed and took a look behind him. As much as people in Japan knew of demons, his family, at least, were still cautious when it came to making their powers and strength known to the public. The Fujimoto family had a powerful reputation to uphold and they dealt with many international companies that would probably break their ties if they knew that his family were so called 'demons'. The world would either think they were deranged or fear them- two extremes that would hurt their family's name.

Inuyasha took one last glance to make sure no one was watching him. He went to the corner of the roof, into the shadows of the trees, and leapt off into the night.

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

"What?!"

Kagome cringed at Ayumi's shout. She shook her head with a laugh once she recovered and waved her hand at Ayumi. "You have such a loud mouth."

"Don't change the subject, Sapphire." Ayumi placed her hands on her hips, glaring at her. "I can't believe the two of you were in the same room and you did _**nothing!**_ "

"What did you expect me to do?" Kagome asked innocently. She turned her back on her friend and missed Ayumi's dumb-founded look.

Midoriko shook her head. "Go easy on her, Aurora," she said with a smile, her green eyes dancing with mischief. "Sapphire is a virgin, you know."

Kagome flushed and turned back around to glare at Midoriko. "Mystique!" Midoriko laughed, the three of them standing at the bar as the music pumped in the background. It was a Saturday night at Midnite, which meant a lot of clients, some visitors, but the clients were back in full force tonight looking for a good time.

Kagome huffed and crossed her arms, turning around to face the bar. She leaned against the bar, remembering how the day had gone. As much as she tried to forget, she couldn't forget Inuyasha. She found him hot and handsome, something she never saw in anyone before him. She also found that there was that instant connection the two of them shared when they danced together. She felt it and knew it to be true the moment they began to move together. Today was definitely a strange day. But she did enjoy the time she had with Inuyasha. Very much.

"Sapphire, it was just the two of you? I can't believe you didn't do anything… or at least show him any of your moves," Ayumi said, coming to sit on a barstool. The three of them found a spot at the bar that was open and they waited until one of the bartenders was free to come help them.

Kagome shrugged. "He's my boss, Aurora. I can't seduce my boss on the first day."

Midoriko huffed, placing her hands on her hips. "As if you'd have to. I'm sure he was drooling over you after that one song you danced together."

She had told her two friends everything that had happened today with Inuyasha as they were getting ready for work. With the hustle and bustle in the dressing room, since all the girls were working tonight, the three of them had their own conversation and the two of them ate up everything Kagome had told them like candy. Candy that Ayumi was spitting out in disgust as to what Kagome did, or at least what she failed to do, according to her friend.

"Boss or not, Inuyasha is hot," Ayumi said, crossing her legs and hooking her heel onto the metal bar of the stool to turn to face Kagome. "He's hot. He's rich. And he's a demon. And you said you guys had a connection. I don't understand!" she said frustrated, throwing her hands up in the air.

Kagome turned to her right to look at Ayumi. She wore her white hair up in a bun with hairspray and gel to keep her hair as clean as possible against her head. She had a red bow in her bun while her outfit matched her head. She wore a white, flared dress that stopped at her thighs. Kagome knew that underneath she had a red thong on. She had a red bow at the front of her chest, covering some but not all of her cleavage, and red high heels on. Tonight she reminded Kagome of Marilyn Monroe.

"I know that. But it still doesn't mean I should seduce my boss on the first day I'm hired."

It was true. Inuyasha Fujimoto was the son to Inutaisho Fujimoto, the Inu-taiyoukai of the Western Lands. History knows him as the Great Dog Demon who ruled the Western Lands back in the Feudal Era. He was a powerful and respected inu-taiyoukai who had mated with another royal inu-taiyoukai and had their first son, Sesshomaru Fujimoto. He was next in line for his father's throne and riches. But then, Inutaisho's mate had died and he found another mate in a noble human woman, Izayoi. The two of them mated and were together ever since. They had a son, Inuyasha, half-human and half inu-youkai. Kagome wasn't sure how old any of them were, those she forgot back in the history books that she had read in the library. But she knew of them because history books told the stories of all the youkai families who are still living to this day and ruling Japan. Even the emperor, even though human, has ties to youkai.

The Fujimoto family was one of the richest families in all of Japan. Being that they were youkai too, they were able to live for a long time and build an empire and amass riches in their family name. They own Fujimoto Enterprises and is a global leader in ecofriendly manufacturing and next-generation farming. Kagome didn't know all of their businesses, but she knew from the news that they were strong in helping the needy and did a lot of environmental businesses. So it was safe to assume that Inuyasha was rich as well and yes, he was hot and a half-demon.

"Sapphire, if you don't want him… you should invite him to have dinner with all of us and Aurora and I can decide who gets him," Midoriko said with a gleam in her eyes. Midoriko was beautiful tonight in a black leather suit. But it stopped right below her butt cheeks, clinging to her curves. It was a simple dress-suit, with a halter top that opened in the front to show off her breasts and dipped low in the back. Midoriko had her long green hair up in a high ponytail tied in three places all the way down her hair with black leather strips.

Kagome shook her head in exasperation with her two friends. "I can't believe you two. Right when I get interested in someone, then you two want to steal him from me."

"Ha!" Ayumi said, pointing her finger accusingly at Kagome. "I knew it! You do like him!"

"How can I like someone I've just met, Aurora?" she asked with disbelief, although deep inside, just the thought of Inuyasha made her feel warm. She couldn't explain this feeling she felt for him. But she knew that there was no way she liked him. No way.

"What's going on over here?" Hojo asked as he walked up to them with a smile. His young boyish features made him so good-looking that Kagome always wondered who he was seeing and if she was good to him. He was a good guy. "You three need a drink?"

Midoriko nodded and moved to sit on the stool on Kagome's left. "I'll have a martini."

"Jack, neat," Ayumi said.

"Bailey's on the rocks." Kagome needed to take the edge off. She usually didn't drink when she was working, but she needed something to help get her mind off Inuyasha and on her job. Tonight was a busy night and she couldn't afford to be distracted by the thought of Inuyasha, no matter how much she had enjoyed her day.

Hojo nodded as they shot out their drink orders and he already started making them. Kagome watched as he efficiently poured the liquor out into the glasses precisely. He was so good at bartending that it was such a beautiful art to just watch.

"Really, Sapphire," Midoriko said seriously, causing Kagome to look at her. "I've never heard you speak about someone like this. Well… aside from Sai."

Ayumi nodded her agreement. "From what you told me yesterday," she said, watching as Kagome focused her attention on her now, "It sounded like you noticed him. You don't 'notice' anyone unless you find them attractive. And I know you… you're not a slut…"

"Geez, thanks," she mumbled under her breath.

Ayumi just continued on. "Because you don't see men as just a good fuck." Kagome turned to glare at her. "And we all know you, and how you are with men, so when I heard how you talked about him yesterday and how much you noticed about his appearance, I was shocked at how well you took notice of him."

Kagome blinked at Ayumi's confession. She remembered what she had told Ayumi in Shinjuku Gyoen yesterday morning and how at the audition she had noticed how handsome Inuyasha was. She had felt it that day, when she had first saw his golden eyes, and she felt that instant connection to him. Something deep in her was calling out to him, and today it only made sense because the two of them moved together with such ease that they were great dancers together. That was why she had felt that connection to him. He called to her on an artistic level and they both felt it when they danced together.

"I think it's just that we both dance well together. I told you that we instantly hit it off dancing. I can't explain it but we moved together and I had so much fun. I could see it on his face too."

Midoriko shook her head at how innocent Kagome was when it came to dating and men. "You think whatever you want to think." Hojo reached out and placed their drinks in front of them on top of napkins. Midoriko nodded her thanks. "But Aurora and I can hear it in your voice when you talk about him and even when you tell us about how you dance together. It's there. You just don't want to see it."

Kagome frowned, reaching out to grab her drink. _'I don't want to see it? See what? Inuyasha's my boss. It's great that we dance well together but there's nothing else there.'_

"Let me ask you this," Ayumi said, catching their attention as she turned to glance behind the two women to see Hiten coming up in his splendid suit, staying a good distance from them to give them space, but tilting his head. She knew what it meant. "When I asked you yesterday about Sai… you said that he was able to make you feel."

Kagome nodded, remembering the man who was her client for the first time and remembered how it was like to have been with him. For some reason, she began to compare him to Inuyasha.

"But then," Ayumi continued, "I asked you if you had a connection with him. And you said 'no'." Ayumi took her drink with her and stood, fixing her dress and looking down at her friend with a smile as Kagome looked up at her in wonder. "From what you've told me so far about Inuyasha… you already have a connection with him."

That said, Ayumi took her leave, not wanting to keep her client waiting. She made her way towards Hiten and allowed him to lead the way.

Kagome turned to look over her shoulder as Ayumi left her and Midoriko. She sighed. Ayumi was right. Now that she thought about it, Sai was a handsome man. She was attracted to him that night because of his good looks and how he made her feel. And Ayumi had pointed out that he at least made her feel. The men here were merely their clients and they were paid to entertain their clients, whether that be sitting quietly next to them and serving them or dancing for them. Whatever it was, there was no feeling with the client nor was there any desire for them, unless some of the girls wanted and the client paid for something more. But for Kagome, she never met someone, in all her nine years of working at Midnite, who made her feel like Inuyasha did. He made her feel something more.

"I think Aurora's right, Sapphire," Midoriko said as she stood, noticing Bankotsu coming towards her, tilting his head to signal he wanted her to follow him. She smiled with a nod as Kagome followed her line of sight. "I won't say anything else. But you think about it. It's the first time anyways that you've met someone who made you feel like this so your reaction is normal. But… just think about it." With that, Midoriko took her leave.

Kagome watched as Midoriko walked away, turning around in her chair. Unlike the two of them, who had been in relationships before, Kagome knew nothing about men and the attraction of a man. She knew nothing about relationships and 'liking' someone. All she knew was that Inuyasha was different. That was all she could say.

Movement caught her eye and she looked up to see Jinenji in his usual suit attire, smiling down at her. She smiled up at him, welcoming the distraction of a client to make her forget Inuyasha. She turned to grab her drink and followed Jinenji to her awaiting client.

The club tonight was rich with bodies, men moving around looking for the company of a woman, but also doing business with each other. Midnite had its usual clients, Onigumo's friends and those who trusted his business, so many of the men Kagome knew by sight alone. But not all were her clients. She, Midoriko and Ayumi had their own set of clients who could afford them. They were Onigumo's best three girls and he reserved them for the higher paying clients than any normal paying customer. And tonight was no exception. Some men came just to do business with each other while enjoying the pleasures of watching the girls perform on stage or cater to them while business was conducted. While some men came for the simple pleasure of being with a woman the entire time. And there were always those few who came for the act of being with a woman.

Kagome stopped short of a man standing at the end of the bar closest to the entrance. He was wearing a grey suit, his tall figure looming over the two men he was speaking to on the barstools. His back was towards her but she could already tell who it was by his physique. She remembered that broad back.

' _Sai…'_ As if he felt her presence, Sai turned around and looked over his shoulder, his eyes meeting hers and an immediate smile followed suit. He turned around, dropping his hands from the men's shoulders, and gave her his full attention.

"Sapphire."

Kagome smiled, feeling butterflies. _'What is with this man?'_ She couldn't put her finger on why she felt so connected to him, but she was happy and disturbed all at the same time of seeing him here again. It was only two days ago that she first met him and he was back again. _'To see me?'_

"Sai," she said, walking forward to place a hand on his chest. She immediately felt him relax under her touch and she wondered why he was here. "You're back? So soon?" She tried not to show too much emotion in her voice, but she was pleased to see him again.

Sai nodded, his black eyes softening as he took in her appearance. She chose to wear a blue short skort that looked like a school uniform. It had a white hem and it flared out from the few layers of tulle underneath. Her torso was bare up until her white top that had a blue bow on her chest. Her top was the only modest thing she wore that tried to cover up her skin, but the rest of her body was laid bare for the eyes. Sai's eyes took in everything she wore, from her blue heels up to her blue floral lace garter on her left thigh. His eyes strayed there a little longer before they came up to land on her breasts and then her eyes. She had to hold in her laugh. He was such a man, and a man's needs is what she knew.

"I came to see you again."

Simple statement. Her hand fell from his chest and she found herself taking a step back, which made Sai frown and he reached out before he could stop himself. Kagome's eyes immediately went to his hand.

"Sorry," he apologized, quickly bringing his hand back to his side as he remembered the rules. "Did I upset you?"

Kagome shook her head, trying not to let her mood or his statement affect her. Business was business. This man though just seemed to get in her head.

"No."

"Ah, I was hoping to catch you before you found her." Kagome turned at the sound of Onigumo's voice and looked to see him coming towards them. By the direction he came from, Onigumo had left his office in search of Sai.

"Onigumo," Sai said, turning to greet the man. He smiled with a nod and Onigumo did the same, reaching out to grab onto Sai's arm in a friendly gesture.

"Sai…" Onigumo said, his blue-green eyes glinting, "Thank you for your commitment. I appreciate your business."

Sai nodded. "Last I was here, I was very pleased as I told you this yesterday," he said, glancing at Sapphire just a second. "I'm grateful that you let me into your fold."

Kagome turned to eye Onigumo, knowingly, but wondering about Onigumo's intentions. "He's a member?" Of course he was. Onigumo seemed pleased to see Sai, as it was evident by his display of friendship. And she wasn't sure what it was that they had talked about, or even settled by some sort of business arrangement, but she was sure that the two had talked over some sort of agreement before Sai was allowed in. The thing about Onigumo from what she knew of him all these years is that Onigumo wasn't one to open his business to many people. He didn't trust easily and those who were members of Midnite, which meant they had open access to come any time to do business or pleasure, were on a strict payment plan that was devised between the parties. The members were able to choose which girl they wanted for their entire membership. They were only allowed to change if both parties, along with Onigumo, agreed on the change whether it be the man who got bored with her or if she didn't care for him anymore. Both wouldn't be a good fit for either man or woman and the time spent together would be in awkward silence and forceful obedience. The members of Midnite were also Onigumo's close friends, social and business, and he kept a record book of all his members- from their favorite color to their job and hobbies. This record book was kept at the bar for the girls to access when the client came so they could freshen up on their client's likes, dislikes, tastes and irritations. It was an easier way for the woman to please him while he came here for a distraction. But the members had to give Onigumo a lot more information about himself than just a guest would.

Onigumo smiled as he looked at Kagome. "Sapphire, Sai is your new client. Sai Okano. He came in yesterday to speak with me on becoming a member," he said, looking at Sai thoughtfully. "After we had a good, long conversation yesterday… I decided that we both could gain from each other. Mmmm, considering your father is turning over his company to you."

And there it was. Onigumo always thought about his benefits in recruiting new members into his fold. She remembered Sai telling her that his father wasn't 'hearing' him and putting pressure on him to do business with some men Sai didn't care for. So Sai had told Onigumo that he would be the heir to his father's empire. _'Okano?'_ At least he hadn't lied to her about his name. Most men didn't use their real name, let alone their full name unless they were members. She hadn't heard much of the Okano family and how rich and reputable they were. But she was sure to hear more of them if Onigumo trusted that Sai would prove to be a valuable asset and business partner.

"Yes. It is in the works. My father is still training me but I'm sure he'll be resigning soon." Sai turned to Kagome, extending his left elbow out towards her in an old courtly manner. It was his way of taking her away without physically grabbing her. "Would you accompany me to the Sky, Sapphire?"

Kagome's eyes widened. She looked to Onigumo and he nodded, sensing her hesitation. She smiled up at Sai and nodded her head, putting on her allure and bringing her hand into his elbow, wrapping around his bicep and drawing her body closer to his. "You wanted alone time with me?"

Sai smiled with a nod, leading the two of them away from Onigumo. Onigumo just stood back at the bar, crossing his arms with a smile as he watched them walk away. Sai made his way towards the stairs that led to the second floor where the Midnite Sky was. "Of course I did. I came back to see you Thursday night," he said as they ascended the stairs, him taking careful time with her as she was in her heels. "And I was refused at the door by the bouncers," he said with a chuckle. "I understand the reason. Which is why I came back yesterday to have a talk with Onigumo and settle matters like businessmen." They reached the top of the stairs and went ahead to the first of two doors on this floor. Kagome looked down at the dance floor below them. Ayumi was on stage now, whipping her hair back as her hands rubbed down the sides of her body erotically. She smiled to herself.

"We hashed it out and I was able to convince him that I would be a valuable asset to him, not only in Midnite but outside as well." Kagome began to loosen her hold on his arm and fall half a step back behind him. He noticed and stopped just as they got outside the door. He turned to look at her, concerned.

She smiled up reassuringly at him. "I'll meet you inside. I want to finish my drink before I give you my full attention." Sai smiled after a moment and nodded, dropping his arm and reaching for the door.

"Don't be long." With that, he shut the door behind him. Kagome frowned, turning from the door to lean against the railing, watching Ayumi below.

"Jinenji…" she called. He was never far from her so she knew that all she had to do was call for him and he would be there. Jinenji got to the last step and strode right towards her, stopping short. Just his presence and his aura was enough to settle her jitters.

"Are you okay? Did he do anything to you?"

Kagome smiled sadly, but turned towards him. She trusted Jinenji more than she trusted Onigumo. She wanted to run into his arms badly and just feel the comfort of his strength. For some reason, Sai just made her feel… uncomfortable. He made her feel beautiful and dirty at the same time, and she hated him for it. But more so, she hated herself for allowing him to feel this way. And yet, with all this conflicting emotions, she was happy he was here, he was her client, and she would be with him again. On the bright side, at least one of her clients was good-looking and she felt something for.

She reached out towards him and grabbed the lapel of his suit jacket, fixing them to comfort herself. "No," she said, shaking her head. But he didn't believe her- heck, she didn't believe her own words. "I just… I need something solid right now."

Jinenji nodded. There were a few times when Kagome would ask him to be more than just her bodyguard. Most of the time it was when they were alone, like when he walked her home, she would touch him and embrace him and tell him how much she appreciated him. She considered him her friend, more than a friend, like a brother, and that endearing statement touched him in such a way that he vowed to protect her. Not because it was his job. But because he could sense something inside of Kagome that was broken, something that was innocent and something that was needed protection. He had never seen her ask or beg for help. She was strong and very independent and on more than one occasion he had seen her stand up for herself or take care of herself if a client got out of line before he could get there. He also sees her joy and love behind the curtains, when the club is closed and it's just the employees. He had been her bodyguard since she started nine years ago and since then he had become so acquainted with her that he even saw her as a sister and he was fiercely protective of her. It was her innocence and beauty that called his demon side to protect her.

Kagome went forward, closer to him, and placed her head onto his lapel that she just fixed. She just stood there, her forehead against his chest, and closed her eyes. He was her rock in this moment and she needed his steadiness to calm her nerves. She didn't like that Sai made her unsteady. She was off her game.

"Thanks, Jinenji," she whispered, knowing through the music and people talking, that he could hear her. Kagome moved back to straighten up and look at him. His kind, green eyes belying his hard features. She drank as much as she could from her glass of Bailey's and gave the rest to him to dispose.

"You will call for me if you need anything."

That was a demand. She smiled with a nod. He knew that she would feel even more cornered now that she was a wreck and going into the sky. Kagome turned and fixed her hair, steeling her nerves and putting on her facade.

She opened the door and was greeted by the soft sound of instrumental music, a Japanese flute and a violin, playing from the entertainment center. She smiled as Sai immediately focused on her at the door, his hand leaving the iPod on the marble countertop, and he smiled in welcome at her.

"I thought you would've left me stranded here alone," he said, his face showing his concern. "Is everything okay?"

Kagome nodded. "Sorry… I had to take care of some things." He did notice that her drink was gone which made him smile as he walked towards her.

The sky room had walls that were of a cream color, much like Onigumo's office. It was meant to allow the client to feel welcomed and comfortable and for the working girl too. To the left of the room near the wall stood a small circular platform about four feet off the ground with a pole that went directly up into the ceiling. There was a floor-to-ceiling mirror behind the platform in the wall with some curtains bunched up above. On the other side of the platform, in the corner furthest from the door, was where the stocked bar was located. It held one type of drink of all sorts of alcohol with varying sizes of glasses. The women knew how to make whatever drink their clients wanted or needed, it was part of their job to serve them, and that included bartending. On the top shelf held the iPod that went into the wall of the bar/entertainment center. Directly in front of the door, against the furthest wall was where the soft cream-colored leather couch was with a glass table that sat the entire length of the couch. There were a couple of red cushions under the table that would serve them if they wanted to sit on the floor. And finally to the right of the room, against the corner, was where there was a small twin-sized bed for the adventurous and lustful.

Sai stopped directly in front of Kagome, staring down at her with a look she couldn't put together. _'What is it about him?'_ she thought, deeply disturbed at the warmth she felt from being close to him. It was stronger than two nights ago when she first met him. _'Are you judging me? Or do you really want to be with me? Oh, Sai…'_ she thought sadly, a sad smile on her face that he caught immediately.

"Did I upset you?"

Kagome shook her head, reaching out to wrap her arms around his waist and she brought herself flush against him. She felt him tense for a moment but soon relaxed. She could feel his arms moving against her, as if he was fighting with himself to keep his hands at his sides rather than embrace her.

"Thank you. For coming back. I had a great time with you last time."

"Yes," he said, his voice rumbling in his chest as she smiled against his suit. He smelt good. "I had a wonderful time with you too, Sapphire." Kagome smiled, closing her eyes, hearing her stage name. That's right. He came back for Sapphire, not for her. He came back for the woman of her darkness, the one who pleased men and who made them grovel. At that moment, she remembered how simple her dream world was and how complicated her reality was.

Kagome moved back, smiling up at him. She noticed his confused gaze as he looked down at her. He was so much taller than her, her head only going up to his heart, but she marveled at his height and build. He was very handsome. "Come," she said, reaching for his hand and grabbing hold, pulling him around as they made their way to the couch.

"So what is it that you came all the way back here, and was able to gain membership, for?" She sat on the couch, still holding onto his hand, and urged him down next to her. She waited for him to sit, watching as he unbuttoned his suit jacket to get more comfortable and sat down, his attention focused solely on her. His smile brought warmth to her and he immediately got comfortable with her, bringing his left hand up onto the back of the couch, adjusting his body to face her. She fixed her skirt and brought her legs up to curl under her, careful to not let her heels puncture the leather couch.

"I came back to see you. Isn't that obvious?" he asked with a smile.

Kagome shook her head. "You shouldn't have. I'm quite sure you could've spent your money elsewhere."

Sai smiled. "I told you, I would offer you the world. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen."

Kagome smiled, reaching out to place a hand on his thigh. She felt the strength of his muscle and knew he worked out. It was obvious by his physique. "Thanks, honey. You told me that couple nights ago too." He nodded, and they fell into silence with him just gazing at her. Kagome smiled with a shake of her head. She needed to do something.

She stood up and his eyes followed her. "Let me get you a drink," she said. She made her way over to the bar and glanced over her shoulder. "What would you like?"

Sai shrugged, his eyes all over her. "Whatever you decide." Kagome nodded and made him her favorite, Bailey's on the rocks. She loved the sweet liquor and could drink half a bottle without feeling much of a buzz, depending if she ate anything before or not. The sound of her scooping ice into the cup reminded her that the music was still playing.

"You like orchestra?" she said, trying to fill the silence between them. She didn't want him to think she was dull on their first real session together.

"Sort of. My father loves them. I remember when I was young, we would travel all the way to Osaka just to go to a kabuki theater. My father loved the art."

Kagome smiled to herself, swirling the drink in hand. "I've never been to those. But I've heard many good things about them." She turned and saw his disbelief.

"You've never seen kabuki?"

Kagome smiled with a shake of her head.

"I will take you to one then," he said with such enthusiasm, but knowing her answer. Their relationship was strictly in this establishment and the thought of them meeting outside of this building was out of the question and out of his contract. But he had to try. He wanted to spend more time with her and the thought of having to wait to see her again was discomforting to him.

Kagome made her way back to sit next to him and said nothing to his remark, giving him the drink. "Have you talked to your father yet?" she asked, changing the subject.

Sai blinked as he looked down and grabbed his drink from her. "Yes."

"And?" she asked with wonder.

Sai looked up and marveled at the beauty of her blue eyes. "He admired me for my strength and intelligence," he said with a smile, thanking her without her even knowing. She was the one who gave him the advice. "I told him everything that was on my mind, about the merger and him needing to trust me if he wants me to succeed him. And he listened through it all, which surprised me."

"It shouldn't."

He blinked and watched her, confused for a moment.

"He's your father. You shouldn't be surprised when your parents want the best for their children. They may do it the wrong way, they may make mistakes at times and cause their child more heartbreak than pleasure, but they still try their best and want to do what's right for them."

Sai shook his head, closing his eyes as he took a sip of his drink. "I cannot believe that you are here."

Kagome smiled, leaning her head on top of his forearm on the couch. "Why?"

"Because you are too smart and too wise for your years to be working in a place like this."

Kagome frowned, looking down at her hands now resting in her lap. He could see straight through her.

"And that's why I came back to see you," he said, opening his eyes as he took one more sip. "I needed to see you again to thank you for your advice," he said, noticing that she wouldn't look up at him. "But also I just needed to see you again. You have no idea how attracted I am to you," he confessed, surprised at himself. Now he was grateful that she wasn't looking up at him, though he was pleased that she hadn't taken her head off his arm. "It's not just your looks, Sapphire, that I'm attracted to. Like I said, you are very beautiful and I'm sure many men have told you this. But to me… your spirit and heart attracts me."

Kagome brought her eyes up to meet his. "What do you know about my heart, Sai?" she asked softly.

Sai smiled at her, seeing the sadness in her eyes. "Every word you say comes from your heart. I knew it the moment we talked together last time. You only wanted to help me, and you did, but everything you said was because you saw me. You saw straight through me and knew that I was hurting. You said things that no one has ever told me before and everything you say, I hear the wisdom behind it, as if you know more than you let people think."

Kagome closed her eyes, leaning into his arm, shaking her head. Who was this man who could see straight through her? Maybe he was something 'more' for her. And just as she thought it, Inuyasha's face suddenly came to mind and her eyes flew open, her head coming off his arm in alarm. _'Inuyasha!?'_

"Did I say something I shouldn't have?" he asked worriedly.

It took her a moment, but she shook her head to reassure him. "No." That was all she could say when she was shocked that she would think of Inuyasha at a time like this. Why did his face suddenly come to her mind? Why was she even thinking about him now, when she was with a man who made her feel and made her feel happy? Sai made her feel like her job wasn't a burden and she was able to be Kagome around him, not Sapphire. "I just… got distracted."

He smiled sadly. "Didn't mean to."

Kagome shook her head, grabbing the drink from his hand to place it on the glass table. "Dance with me." She grabbed his cold hand and stood, waiting for him to follow. He did and the two of them went to the center of the room.

"Do you dance?" she asked him, hoping he did.

Sai nodded. "Although, I'm not sure I'll be as good as you."

Kagome giggled. "I'll give you a break."

Sai tilted his head to the side, listening to the music that was now playing compared to the sound of her laughter. The music was now a little faster, the sound of a full orchestra with a pianist now beginning to catch his attention.

"I love the sound of your laugh."

Kagome shook her head wistfully. _'This man…'_ She brought herself against him and wrapped her left arm around his chest as she brought her right hand up.

"Hold me." That was her consent and he understood, reaching for her hand immediately and clutching her small hand as if that was the greatest gift she ever gave him. He brought his right hand to bring her smaller body close against his and the two of them moved together to the rhythm of the music.

She marveled at how smooth he danced and how well they danced together. It wasn't awkward, as if they both enjoyed dancing with each other, but it was easy and comfortable to be here in his arms dancing with him. Kagome closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest. As soon as she did, Inuyasha's face came to mind again and she frowned, not missing a beat in their step but her thoughts going far from Sai. Why was she thinking of him now? All she could do now was compare Inuyasha to Sai. She remembered today how she had danced with Inuyasha. Though they hadn't touched each other like she was doing with Sai now, she could still feel how they instantly had a connection dancing together. They didn't need to touch to know that they were meant to dance together and had that spark. She thought about how his eyes stayed on her as she moved to the beat and the two of them kept their eyes on each other during the routine, watching each other and making the routine their own so that they could compliment each other's moves. It was momentary, but she knew that there, in the dance studio, she had felt something with Inuyasha that she hadn't felt with anyone else before in her life. And yet here she was, in the arms of Sai, feeling something totally different and yet totally the same. What was it about Sai and Inuyasha? Why was she even comparing the two? The thought frustrated her.

"Hey…" Sai said, sensing her tenseness, "What are you thinking about? Is my dancing really that bad?" he joked.

Kagome chuckled, erasing thoughts of Inuyasha and shook her head against him. "No. I was just thinking about how well we dance together."

Sai nodded, though he knew she couldn't see him. "I thought so too."

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

Midnite was quite by the time the doors closed at 2am. The floor had a few napkins that signaled it was so crowded tonight that not even the girls or the bartenders and bodyguards could clean up throughout the night. It was a busy night with lots of clients and guests to tend to. And here she was, sitting at a table, staring at the pole on the platform.

' _Inuyasha…'_

"Kagome…"

She turned at the sound of her name, knowing that it was after hours and the club was closed and locked down for the night. That signaled reality and the use of their real names again.

Jinenji stood behind her, his face etched with concern. Even though the scar above his left eye made him look scary to some, now with his face a mask of concern, she thought he was handsome and adorable.

"Jinenji?"

He moved in and brought a chair close to her, facing her, his eyes seeing right through her. "What happened today?"

He knew something was bothering her. She had been off her game since Sai. He was worried, that she could see all over his face. And she didn't want to tell him, but the fact that he was here, sitting with her when everyone else went home or was getting ready to leave, made her heart ache for him. For his comfort.

"Jinenji…" she said softly with a sad smile. "How well you know me."

Kagome moved, bringing her legs between his open ones, and leaned her forehead against his chest. He moved forward on his chair a little to accommodate her. She brought her hands around his body, her elbows resting on his thighs, and just allowed herself to relax. The weight of the day, the confusion of it all, the fact that she wasn't herself tonight and was off her game, just came crashing down on her in an instant. She felt bone-weary tired and now that she had a rock to support her, she felt like a damn was bursting.

Before she knew it, her eyes burned and she felt tears run down her cheeks. _'No…'_ She didn't want to cry, not here, and Jinenji must've smelt her tears because he had reached around her, grabbing her and bringing her onto his lap. She went willingly, knowing Jinenji and trusting him with all her heart. He brought her onto his lap and she buried her head in the crook of his neck, and cried, something she rarely if ever did around any of her coworkers. But she was so overwhelmed by her emotions that she couldn't help it.

"Kagome…" Jinenji said, his voice an ache. "Talk to me. What happened? Don't cry, please." Even Jinenji ached, although he ached for her.

"I'm sorry, Jinenji," she said, sniffing and calming herself down. "I had a rough day."

"Talk to me."

She sighed and told him what he needed to know. "There's this guy. He makes me feel… like my life could be so easy, honestly. But he sees me. Kagome. He sees me and I feel like we connected. But then there's also this other guy. He makes me feel… like I need him because he gives me the release from my problems. But he reminds me that I'm still running. He sees me. Sapphire." Kagome felt her heart ache at the confession, it hurt to talk about it but it helped to say it out loud. These two men, they saw two different sides of her and wanted two different things that she couldn't give to either.

"I can't escape my past," she admitted, and turned her face into Jinenji again to let out another set of tears, this time over something that haunted her every second of the day. Jinenji's arms held her tighter and she felt his head move a moment later.

"Everything okay, Jinenji?" It was Ayumi's voice. Kagome sniffed, bringing herself out of her drama and problems enough to remember that she was still in Midnite and she would rather go home and cry by herself than here in the club. She was comfortable that way. Kagome pushed back and turned to see Midoriko standing next to Ayumi, the two women now in dresses with their bags over their shoulders, concern plastered on their faces as they stared at her.

Kagome smiled with a nod. "I'm okay, guys. Really." They didn't push it. They didn't have to. It was obvious to anyone with eyes that something was wrong because she never cried in front of them. At least, not like that, and in Jinenji's arms.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I'm really trying to capture the two sides of Kagome: her light and her dark. And just in case you're wondering... yes, Inuyasha doesn't have any claws. Only inu-taiyoukai have claws. I'm also trying to balance out the secret of demons from the world and the openness they feel at home in Japan. In a perfect world, everyone would know and accept demons- but the world isn't perfect. I think I found a balance though. Just gotta keep playing it out for you. Let me know what you thought :)


	4. C4- Friends

**Author's Note:** Back at it again. I'm glad a lot of you are liking the story, the storyline. I'm also excited to hear some of your ideas and reviews. I love it when people review, not only for encouragement but also to see where some of you are going with the characters and the story. Anyways... a shorter chapter this time, just to get some characters in and get some relationships started :)

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha

* * *

Kagome walked into the studio room and was met by the sight of Inuyasha, sprawled out on the floor. He was stretching his legs when his eyes immediately came up as he noticed her come in.

"Morning," she said with a smile, though still feeling tired from lack of sleep. She actually had no sleep. She left Midnite around three in the morning, an hour after the club had closed. Jinenji, Ayumi and Midoriko had decided to stay with her after her little breakdown in Jinenji's arms. No one said much but their presence alone helped her a lot. Onigumo had came from his office to find out what was wrong, but she had eventually persuaded him to go home. He could tell that she didn't want him around and he wasn't going to push it if she wasn't going to be open to him. So he left her care to Jinenji and the two women, and she was grateful for that.

After she got home, around three, she just couldn't sleep. She found herself outside on her balcony, sitting in the dark with only the lights from the buildings around her, as she stared out at the sky for hours. The stars were bleak from the city lights all around but she could see a few twinkling lights above. She tried to focus on anything but her problems but they plagued her the entire morning. Dawn eventually came, the sun kissing the sky and changing it into an array of colors as she greeted a new day. After returning into her home to make her breakfast, she returned outside on her balcony until she had to leave to meet Inuyasha by 7am.

"Morning," Inuyasha said. She released the door and walked over to where his stuff was placed against the mirrors. She dropped her bag and took out her necessities. _'Alright, Kagome. Toughen up. Don't think about it. Just do your job and get the day over with so you can go home.'_ Back to her problems, which was what she desperately didn't want to be around. Inuyasha had said that today would be longer now that he knew how good she was and that she was catching on easier than he thought. So today, she assumed, would be an entire day of work. As much as the thought made her body ache already, she was excited to put her thoughts and energy into work. The only solace she had was that last night was her last day of work for the week, so she could go home and sleep the whole night through.

"Rough night?"

She blinked as she walked towards him and sat on her butt. _'He must notice it. How bad do I look?'_ she wondered. She thought she didn't look that bad, considering she was functioning off of coffee now, but Inuyasha could tell apparently. "Yeah. Sorry."

Inuyasha arched his eyebrow as she sat a few feet away from him and began to stretch out. She had on a dark blue tights with a loose black razorback tanktop that had "DANCE" on the front. He also wore a black tanktop with a grey cotton pant. He had on his favorite red Nike shoes and his hair braided since today would be a long day. He was feeling much better after last night's release and he was ready for today, just the two of them sweat in a room. Inuyasha groaned in frustration.

"Can you even dance today?" he asked, sensing her weariness and wanting to get his mind off of possibilities. He didn't need his hanyou senses to tell that she was tired. "Did you have to work last night?"

Kagome looked up, surprised, and nodded her head. "Yeah. I'm fine. Last night was rough at work. I got home late and I couldn't sleep. But I'll be fine."

"Dance requires your mental health too, you know."

Kagome smiled with a nod. "I know. I'll be okay. I'm tired but I'm not dead." He left it at that and stood up, allowing her more time to stretch.

"Whatever," he said, turning around and heading over to his bag. He fished out his iPod and placed it in his pant pocket. "I want to teach you five numbers, at the most. Once you learn all the numbers, then we can learn transitions with the entire group. But for now, with just the two of us, you can start by learning the numbers."

Kagome nodded, her back facing him, and leaned forward between her open legs. She was starting to feel the energy and excitement she got when she would dance. Her body loved to dance and no matter how she felt, she always seemed to be in the mood to move. Just like now, she could feel her mind awakening and her body getting loose to do what she loves.

"Ready." She stood up and turned to face him, waiting for his lead. He stood across from her, arms crossed, and she couldn't help but notice how handsome he was. _'Dammit, Kagome! None of this!'_ She could feel her emotions overcoming her again and she didn't need a full-blown meltdown again.

Inuyasha noticed her change in mood and he arched his eyebrow, watching as she turned from him to face the front mirrors. She waited for him and said nothing, so he took it as a sign to start. This woman was definitely something different. Her scent had hit him the minute she opened the door and entered, and just as fast, he found his body stirring to life at the sight of her. Even though he had his itch scratched last night, just the sight of her and her scent hit him in the gut. Hard.

He made his way a couple feet in front of her to the middle of the room, focusing on the task at hand and not on her. "Okay. Let's start with the simple and then we'll end on the harder one for today. Depends on how long it takes, we might get through all five or not, but it's a rough number."

Kagome smiled and looked at him in the mirror. "You don't have to take it easy on me, you know. I'm a big girl," she said with a smirk.

Inuyasha smirked right back. _'She's playing with me.'_ At least the strange tension between them was cut by playful remarks. He shook his head with a smile. "You'll regret that."

This time, he really wanted to push her to see how well she could dance but also how well and fast she caught on. He would do multiple numbers with her and then go back through them if she remembered them all after learning so many.

"Let's start off with what we learned yesterday." He turned his iPod on to the song they learned yesterday and he watched as Kagome's head began to nod to the music. He was hopeful that she remembered it and wasn't disappointed the minute he counted off the beat and they moved together.

It was still strange to him how he felt this connection with her when they danced together. He wanted to do a duet with her and he found himself moving closer to her as they danced, both of them catching the other's eyes in the mirror, their entire attention focused on each other. He had to hold in his excitement. He had never met anyone like Kagome who could keep up with him but also who enjoyed dancing so much that it showed in her style. She still put her own signature on some of the moves when time between the movements allowed it, and he was amazed at her dancing skills. For someone who never danced professionally before, she was a hell of a good dancer.

"Good!" Inuyasha said with a smile. "You remembered." They completed the entire routine from yesterday and she remembered all the moves without faltering.

Kagome huffed, catching her breath a little. "Yeah. It was easy, like you said. But fun."

He had to agree. He saw the glimmer in her eyes and what he had seen earlier with her weariness was quickly fading away to bring on an adrenaline rush that he felt too.

"Okay. Let's do the next one."

He shut the music off and looked at her in the mirror. He began to do the first eight count with his feet alone. Kagome watched him a couple of times and then he told her to join in. Then the two of them moved together. Kagome was surprised at how well she was catching on but also how well Inuyasha taught and danced. She had never danced professionally like this, let alone being taught how to dance and she having to follow. But she was catching on nicely and found it easy to learn from him. She found the connection between the two of them disconcerting but she was a little excited by it too. Every time she caught his eyes in the mirror, she felt connected to him, like they were perfect for each other. Something about dancing with Inuyasha made her feel alive.

The morning had gone by slowly but quickly, some moves she would catch on quickly and some she would have to repeat a few times before she could move on. Inuyasha would count off and clap his hands while he watched her and sometimes he would join along with her. True to his word, they were on the third routine when it started to get harder than yesterday's song. But she loved the challenge and even though she couldn't get the moves as fast as she did the past three songs, she kept doing it and doing it, urging Inuyasha to continue on or asking him to slow down, and the whole while he obliged her. She was grateful to him and found herself getting more accustomed to him by the hour.

The two of them were covered in sweat by the end of the third routine and by then it was after noon. Inuyasha wiped sweat from his forehead with his towel and turned to gaze at Kagome as she did the same, the two of them huffing from the energy they spent.

"Lunch break?"

Kagome smiled and nodded. "Sure. I'm hungry."

Inuyasha nodded. "I'm starving." Kagome giggled and he flicked his ears towards her at the sound. He couldn't get over how he enjoyed being around her. How right it felt.

The two of them grabbed their things and left the dance studio. Inuyasha had told her that there was a place across the street that the group would go to all the time for lunch or dinner. They made good food and Inuyasha loved their ramen so she let him lead the way. Outside, the sun was blazing down on them, making her sweat again at the intense heat of the day. She followed Inuyasha across the street and he opened the door for her as they walked into Yura Yura. She smiled at him in thanks as she entered. The feel of the cold air felt good on her damp skin and she had the impression that she smelt like sweat and stink. _'Oh great.'_ The restaurant was packed. It was small, only having about ten tables from what she could see, but there were a lot of people there and sitting at the sushi bar.

"Come," Inuyasha said, walking towards an open booth. He sat down and she sat across from him, dropping her backpack next to her with a sigh.

"I stink," she said, catching a whiff of herself as she sat down. She made a face and Inuyasha chuckled, shaking his head.

"No you don't. You smell fine."

Kagome arched her eyebrow with a smirk. "I see… you like women with nasty smells, huh?" He glared at her and she laughed. Inuyasha blinked, confused as to why she was laughing, but it didn't matter. He was glad to hear her laugh and her laughter made him feel happy. He just sat back and shook his head at her humor.

"You don't get it."

Kagome sobered and nodded to a waitress who came to drop off menus. "Thank you." The woman bowed deeply and took her leave, making Kagome turn her attention back to Inuyasha. "What don't I get?" she asked, grabbing the menu and checking out the dining options. She was surprised to see some American dishes on the menu as well as traditional Japanese dishes. That was probably why this place did so well here, right across of the dance academy. The academy must have visitors from all over the world with international tastes and Yura Yura was smart enough to fill in that niche.

"I'm a hanyou, Kagome."

Kagome stared at him as if that alone was the answer to all the riddles. He shook his head, explaining to her. "I'm an inu-hanyou."

"I know that." She remembered reading about him and of course Japan knew all about demons and mikos, though most decide to either go one of two ways- accept them or reject them. It was that simple in their country. But going outside of Japan was different and Kagome wasn't sure how demons managed to survive outside of their native land. "I've read about you. You're all over the tabloids, you know?" she teased, seeing his smirk and his puff of pride. She rolled her eyes, catching his attention.

"What? I am famous."

Kagome laughed, her eyes going back to the menu. "Whatever… anyways, as you were saying," she said with a wave of her hand, encouraging him to go on.

Inuyasha turned as he heard the woman coming back. She appeared next to them, dropping two glasses of water, and took their order. He ordered four bowls of ramen, gaining an open-mouth-shocked-face from Kagome, which he ignored. He waited for her to quickly decide and ordered a turkey spinach wrap. He smiled at the waitress as she addressed him formally and she took her leave.

"Anyways…" he continued, her blue eyes focusing back on him as she took a long sip of her water. "I'm an inu-hanyou. So I have heightened senses."

"Like what?" she asked, really interested.

Inuyasha shrugged. "Much like a dog's, I guess. I can smell up to 10,000 times better than humans." Kagome's eyes widened and he chuckled. "Smell is a sense that many of us can't go without and it's what we become so reliant on from the time we leave the womb. We imprint our mother's scent and our sense of smell keeps us alive."

"Wow…" Kagome breathed out. "So… I guess… I smell really really really stink to you then," she said with chuckle, thinking that he must've been dying in the academy with just the two of them sweating it out.

Inuyasha huffed and rolled his eyes. "No, baka. I told you, you don't smell stink."

Kagome looked at him with disbelief. "But you said you can smell way better than me. And from what I smelt of myself when I sat down… I'm glad I have my sense of smell than yours." She saw him shake his head.

"Your scent is fine."

She had to pause on that, thinking what he really meant by that simple statement. She didn't understand anything when it came to demons, let alone their heightened senses. She had only been with one demon and that wasn't even the least bit informational or helpful when it came to understanding their senses. All she knew was that demons were powerful and scary when they used that power on a human.

"What else can you do?" she asked, now intrigued. She leaned onto the table, watching him and waiting.

Inuyasha took a deep breath and leaned back, her scent stronger now. "Well… I can hear much better than you. Hearing is our second strongest sense as an inu-youkai. Well, I think that and touch ties, but our hearing is way better because we can hear higher and lower pitches than humans can and we hear things further away than a human can."

Kagome smiled, really intrigued and awed now. She couldn't believe at the abilities that Inuyasha had. It was amazing and interesting to her to learn more about demons and their abilities, well mostly about him. She was interested in learning about him on a more personal level instead of it being just business between them. She wanted that connection to be a bit more and if that was going to happen she had to become social and personal with him. That would take some time on her part, hopefully.

"Our sense of touch is another heightened sense. It is the first thing we develop when we're born because our mothers imprint on us by holding us. Then, comes the sense of smell during the imprint. A mother-child inu-youkai bond is strong from the moment they're born. Also for the father as well, but usually it's the mother who gets to hold the infant and bond with it. Plus the infant knows her voice after being in her womb so the bond is strong." He thought back to when he was younger. His mother often told him how she remembers giving birth to him, much to his disgust and not wanting his mother to go into the gory details of it all, but she loved to remember how he came out and didn't cry. The doctors had placed him on her chest the moment he came out and his mother told him how she had placed her hands on his tiny back and he immediately moved and whined. His father had told her that he was seeking for her and his mother cried, rubbing his back and talking to him, telling him how much she loved him and how happy she was to have him in her arms now.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome said, calling him back from his memories. "Are you close with your mother?"

Inuyasha nodded with a smile. "My mother, Izayoi, is my rock. My father, Inutaisho, is the Lord of the Western Lands. So when he was busy with ruling his empire and wards, my mother was the one who took care of me. Of course, being that she was the one who had to nurse me."

Kagome smiled sadly with a nod. "That's amazing," she said softly. He flicked his ears and heard the sad undertone in her voice, making him frown. _'What did I say?'_ he wondered, but then she giggled and closed her eyes, her mood changing like water.

"Your ears are so cute."

He arched his eyebrow at her bluntness. "Cute? Well… they're not a toy."

Kagome giggled some more. "I know that. But I like how they flick around. It's like you're listening intently to everything, although from what you already told me… you can hear more than I can so I think your ears only flick when you are interested in what you have to hear."

Inuyasha froze in shock. Who was this woman? It was as if she was reading him like an open book. She seemed to know more about him than he was leading on, like she could see into him. It was part of the reason why he felt that instant connection to her. There was something about her that he was drawn to and the fact that she could see into him only confirmed his doubts and curiosity. He needed to find out more about her. What was it about her that made him so… interested?

"Am I right?" Kagome asked, sensing his hesitation and judging by the look on his face, she worried that she had said something wrong.

Inuyasha shook his head, closing his eyes. "No one has ever told me that before. You're a smart girl, Kagome," he said with a smile.

Kagome couldn't help the smile that came next. She was glad that they were getting acquainted with one another and he was opening up to her.

"What else can you do? How about your sense of sight and taste?"

He chuckled. "Is this an interview or something?" he asked, watching her blush as she leaned back against the booth, clearly embarrassed.

He quickly reassured her. "Hey. Don't worry about it. I don't mind talking about my abilities," he said, watching as she looked at him slowly, trying to gauge what he reaction. "I can see much better than a human can in the dark and I can see further than a human can. My taste is amplified too but not by much. Out of all my senses, taste is the least powerful. Smell is our most powerful sense and we depend on that the most."

Kagome nodded her understanding. "Are you strong too?"

Inuyasha nodded, wondering why she was asking so much questions now. It was as if she was trying to get to know him without him even being bothered by the fact that he was so different from her. He was never the kind of person to just open up about himself and tell the world of his abilities. They would become a liability to the right person who would want to hurt him or kill him. And yet he found himself wanting to tell Kagome about himself to see if… _'What? To see if she would accept me?'_ No. That didn't matter.

"Yeah. I'm pretty strong," he said, not wanting to brag. It was actually making him a little uncomfortable now that they spent about ten minutes talking only about himself.

"What about you?" he asked her, seeing her eyes wide as he turned the spotlight on her. "I haven't heard anything about your abilities," he teased. Now it was his turn to lean on the table, interested in what she would have to say about herself.

Kagome giggled, tilting her head to the side as she ran a hand through her hair. He watched her movements and waited for her to open up.

"Well… hmmm… I love to dance. I'm a great dancer." She eyed him and noticed his glare. She had to laugh at his look, his ears were drooped as if he had hoped for more and was disappointed. _'He is so cute.'_ No matter how she tried to explain it away, there was no doubt that Inuyasha was a handsome and sexy man. There was no denying the obvious, especially when he was hounded on by women all over Japan.

"I love to travel." His ears perked up at a new piece of information about herself and she had to hold in her giggle. "I went to Hawai'i once, you know?" she asked, though she never expected an answer. "That was the only time I left Japan but ever since then, I have had this desire to travel. To see the world and the beauty that is on this earth. I think there's so much out there that no one can contain or understand. And I just want to see as much as I can before my life ends."

Inuyasha was shocked at her desire and insight. She seemed to have a deep soul, one that from what he would compare to as being like a soul of a miko.

"I love the ocean." She leaned forward, her head in her hands as her elbows came onto the table. Now they both were leaning on the table, closer to each other. He saw the longing in her eyes before she even had to explain. "I fell in love with the ocean when I went to Hawai'i and I've always wanted to go back ever since, just to see the ocean. When I came home, I changed my apartment to match the ocean that I remembered so fondly back on my trip."

Inuyasha gave her a look. "Why didn't you go back?"

Kagome shrugged, her eyes going up to see the waitress coming towards them. "I just never had the chance," she said softly, her eyes coming back to meet his. "Life got in the way."

The waitress bowed and placed their food in front of them. Kagome stared in awe at the four big ramen bowls that the woman put down in front of Inuyasha and he put the other three off to his side for now so he could focus on one bowl at a time. He could feel her staring at him just as the waitress left and he looked up.

"What? I'm hungry. Got a problem with that?" he asked, though his voice held no venom.

She giggled and shook her head in bewilderment, grabbing one half of her cut turkey wrap. "Oh no. You go and eat all those ramen… pig," she said softly under her breath.

"I heard that," he said with a glare as he got his chopsticks and brought his face closer to the bowl. Kagome smiled knowingly and shrugged. She took a bite of the wrap and moaned. Their food really was good. The dressing that they used was amazing and she had to find out what they put in it. This might become her new favorite place to eat now that she would be at the dance academy every day.

"Good, huh?" Inuyasha asked knowingly.

"Yeah. You were right."

"Feh. I'm always right," he said before tackling his first bowl of ramen.

Kagome blew out air and shook her head. Their conversation ended with her vacation and they made small talk about today and how well the practice was going. Inuyasha complimented her on her moves and how well she was getting the routines. Kagome complimented him on being a great teacher and how she loved the way he dances. That earned her a blush from him and he quickly recovered by shoving ramen into his mouth, earning a laugh from her. She was getting comfortable around him now. She also felt like she could trust him, in the little time that she spent with him these past two days, which was out of the ordinary for her. They were starting to get to know each other and she found it easy to open up to him, as much as she could.

Once they finished lunch, shocking Kagome at how fast he ate the four bowls of ramen and didn't fall over in a coma, Inuyasha paid for the check, which began a heated argument between the two when Kagome tried to fight him for the check. But in the end, Inuyasha won. They both got up to leave the restaurant and he opened the door for her and walked out behind her. The welcomed heat was actually what she needed now that her clammy skin was in the cool restaurant for an hour.

"You want to finish the next two routines?" Inuyasha asked as they were free to cross. She followed at his side, hooking her thumbs into the straps of her backpack.

"Yeah. I'd love to learn as much as I can. I'm not that tired… not yet, anyways."

Inuyasha nodded in agreement. They crossed the street and entered the studio. Kagome found that he liked opening the door for her and would move in front of her before she even got to the door. She also found that she didn't mind it. She was never one to bend over and allow anyone to do anything for her. Since she was young, she had to be independent and learn how to take care of herself, so she never knew anything but doing things on her own. And yet, she didn't mind the fact that Inuyasha was trying to be a gentlemen. She found it endearing.

The next two hours were spent learning the last two songs that Inuyasha wanted to teach her today. The two of them pushed through their lunch and used that new energy to dance it off together. She found the fourth routine to be a little more challenging as the eight counts weren't consistent, some of them with a slow four count into a quick four count to make a set. She couldn't wrap her head around it until she asked Inuyasha to play the song and dance it for her. He did and she watched him as he moved along the floor. This routine, she noticed, was a lot of movement along the entire dance floor as she watched him glide, his muscles well defined and toned as she noticed every bit of his body. She smiled distractedly, crossing her arms and leaning onto one leg watching him. He was graceful and he was living in the dance. She admired his sexiness as he danced and wondered if he had a lover in his life. As the song ended, Inuyasha turned around, catching his breath but gave her a knowing smirk. The two of them shared a heated stare, teasing each other briefly without having to say anything, and Kagome just shook her head with a smile, going to stand next to him. She was able to catch on to the moves after a couple of tries. The music helped her to understand the rhythm and the beat so now that she saw it and heard the song, "Let's Make Time for You and I", she was able to visualize it in her head and think of the music and what the lyrics were saying as she danced.

The fifth routine was much faster, which she was grateful for it being the last, although in another sense she cursed him for making their last one of the day, after they were spent and tired, to be a fast and energetic number. She kept up with him, though, moving in time to the beat after she saw him do the entire song once. She noticed how sometimes there would be a half-step and she would have to lean her weight just slightly enough in order to shift her weight into the next move or else she would trip over her feet, like she did several times. Even though it was work, she was having so much fun. It was just the two of them dancing together.

It was almost four in the afternoon when they were finally done. Kagome plopped down, groaning as her legs hurt and her arms felt numb.

"I don't think I've danced this much in one day before," she admitted, knowing that she was going to feel it tomorrow.

Inuyasha nodded, sitting down in front of her to stretch out. "If you've never danced professionally before, you'll be hurting tomorrow."

She groaned. "Great. Thanks for the warning." She followed suit and began to stretch out her hamstrings.

"I still can't believe that you haven't danced professionally in your life," he said honestly, wiping his forehead of sweat with his tanktop. "You have great talent. It's hard to believe that no one found you and noticed your talent, or that you never put your talent to use." He watched as she avoided looking at him but he knew she heard him.

"I never really bothered with it. Why waste my time trying out for things that I might not have been ready to do back then?" Inuyasha seemed satisfied with the answer after a moment and nodded his head. He could tell she wasn't going to talk about it anymore. He went back to stretching out his legs and she did the same.

After a minute, his phone began to ring, playing "Girls Like You". Kagome giggled as he walked away, thinking about how she liked that song, as she hummed to the lyrics until he cut it off and answered his phone.

"Yeah. Hey. What? No. I'm still at the academy. Now? Where? Okay. Yeah. See ya." He hung up and went back towards where she was, bending down to stretch.

"I gotta go. That was Miroku. He and Sango are coming back and wanted to meet me at the studio. Apparently, Kikyo texted us and wanted to have a meeting at five. So Sango and Miroku had to cut their weekend short and come back for her." Kagome didn't miss the disapproval in Inuyasha's voice or the roll of his eyes as he straightened back up and looked down at her.

"Let's go."

Kagome smiled up at him and reached for his hand, allowing him to pull her to her feet. At that moment, as she stood next to him, her hand in his, she swore that she felt something between them. She didn't want to leave him and yet she didn't want to stay with him. She was fighting with herself, with what her body was telling her and what her mind was warning her. And yet, this feeling with him, just felt so right. And she was sure he had to have felt it too because he never released her hand and just stared at her, his golden eyes mesmerizing and intense.

She cleared her throat and pulled her hand out of his. "Thanks." Inuyasha brought his hand to scratch the back of his head, unsure of what to do now. She moved first, moving towards her backpack and she heard him follow. She turned to smile at him, hoping to brush off whatever it was that just happened between them so that it didn't turn awkward.

"So, tomorrow then?"

Inuyasha faced her, a little confused, but then nodded his head. "Yeah. Back same time. The others will be here too. I told them there's no practice this weekend since I would be here with you. But now that Miroku and Sango are back, I think it would be good if you met the entire group and we try some transitions just to see how well you mesh with everyone."

Kagome nodded her agreement, feeling butterflies at the thought of having to meet everyone. She was shy by nature but she was sure that she was going to like them all since they all loved dancing. She followed Inuyasha out of the room and the two of them went their separate ways outside of the academy doors.

She headed straight home, planning her night out as she rode the train back: take a nice hour long soak in a bath with Epsom salt and essential oils, then making something fast and easy for dinner, and finally hitting the sheets early to be in dreamland for a long time. That sounded like a wonderful night to her.

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

"Hey everyone!" Miroku called, waving a hand in the air. "This is Kagome Saito. She is our new member and hopefully our last for a while," he said with a smirk. Miroku placed his hands on his hips as he turned to look at Kagome with a huge smile on his face. "Kagome… this is the gang!"

Everyone looked at her with smiles and greetings as she stood in front of the entire dance group, nervous and embarrassed by Miroku's grand introduction. She smiled and waved her hand.

"Hi everyone."

Miroku placed his arm around her, making her flinch, and she tried to move out from under him smoothly without it being too noticeable. But he noticed and frowned, quickly apologizing.

"Sorry," he said, holding up his hands.

"Uh, don't worry about it," she said, quickly hurrying to change the subject. "I'm just glad to be able to meet everyone," she said, turning to face the crowd instead of him. The gang were seated close to the center of the room in a clump. But her eyes met Inuyasha's, his lone figure leaning back against the mirrors. His eyes were locked on hers and he had this look on his face as if he was scrutinizing her.

Sango brushed off the tension and came up to slap Miroku on the back playfully. "Alright, alright." She went over to Kagome and acknowledged her with a smile. "I know I told you this before, but I love the way you dance. And I'm soooo excited to dance with you today!" she said, her eyes twinkling.

Kagome giggled. Sango had such a carefree and loving attitude that she was sure she would become friends with Sango just as she was with Ayumi and Midoriko.

Kagome nodded. "Thanks. I'm really not used to being the center of attention like this."

"Bah," Miroku said, swatting his hand at her as he walked towards the others. "You'll do just fine. We won't put you in the center then," he said with a laugh.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes as he stood up and made his way towards the center of the group. "Let's get this started already."

Introductions done, Inuyasha wanted to cut to the chase, much to Kagome's appreciation. Everyone was here, well everyone but Kikyo and Naraku whom she had met that first time here. But as Kagome followed Sango, she counted the amount of people in their group. There were eight new people whom she hasn't met yet. So counting Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku and herself, Kikyo's group had a total of a dozen dancers now. She smiled to herself, thinking of how nice it was to have only a handful of dancers and not a whole class the size of twenty or thirty. That would've been too overwhelming to have to memorize everyone's names and the transitions that they would all have to do. She thought of how there were just a bit more women at Midnite than there were dancers here. And she also noted how there were only four men.

"Alright… let's start with 'Who's Got You?'" Inuyasha announced, reaching into his pocket to grab his iPod. "Kagome learned it on Saturday so hopefully it's still fresh."

She smiled as she fell in line behind the three. She noticed that everyone formed two lines behind Inuyasha, Sango and Miroku. She knew that they were the leaders of the group, as they were the ones who had auditioned her and had been there during the contract signing. It was only natural for the rest of the group to fall in line behind the three. Since she was new, Kagome decided to head to the second row, standing next to a woman who smiled at her with a nod.

"My name is Shiori." Kagome smiled and nodded back. The woman had beautiful long hair that went down to her thighs, tying her thick hair back in a braid, reminding her of Midoriko's long hair.

Kagome faced forward and looked at the backs of the three leaders. Inuyasha stood in the middle with Miroku and Sango on either side of him. The three of them looked towards each other, talking amongst themselves, and then Inuyasha started the music. He turned around to catch her eyes for a brief moment, making sure she was ready, and then he faced forward. She took a deep breath, getting herself in the mood, not wanting her nervousness to get in the way of her love for dancing. She did want to prove herself worthy to the group and she did want to try her best to fit in.

The music went into the verse and everyone moved at the same time. The twelve's movements were all the same, their feet moving together and their hands going up all in synchronization. Inuyasha was very pleased as he watched Kagome the entire time, noticing that she remembered the routine but still putting her signature into the moves. Not all dancers could do that, especially so fast after learning a routine and being new at dancing professionally. But he watched her the whole time, even when they had to turn around, and she was on point. He smiled and noticed that Sango and Miroku were also watching her with smiles on their faces. _'Good. She's definitely a keeper.'_

The song ended and everyone clapped it off, their excitement and energy spiking now that they were warmed up and feeling good. Kagome smiled and looked at everyone, feeling their excitement and letting it affect her. Shiori came over and put her hand up for a high-five. Kagome smiled and laughed as she high-fived her back.

"Kagome!"

She turned at the sound and noticed Inuyasha called her.

"Come up here!"

Kagome gulped, the excitement fading now. "Ummm…"

"Don't be shy, Kagome," Sango said, turning around to wave her up. "Come on. Let's see you dance."

Kagome sighed, her eyes going to Inuyasha for help. He just smiled at her, crossing his arms and cocking his eyebrow, waiting for her with a smug smile. She glared at him. _'Awww man… why me?'_ She had to just suck it up. He did say everyone would want to see her dance and she would have to show them her moves eventually. _'But in the front row?!'_ She sighed heavily and moved up, heading around the first row to go stand next to Sango at one end. Miroku stood at the other with Inuyasha in between. The woman smiled encouragingly at her and gave her a wink.

"Let's do that one more time," Inuyasha said. He replayed the music and they all got ready and started into the beat. Everyone's eyes were ahead at the mirror, watching themselves and watching each other with smiles, their moves precise. Kagome couldn't stop looking at Inuyasha, and she noticed that he also was watching her, their eyes catching each other's. She smiled at him and put some attitude into her moves, rubbing herself as her eyes remained on him and then she tore them away as she lifted her knee up to flick her hair over her shoulder. Sango did the same, rolling her torso and pointing, then flipping her hair the opposite side and doing the move again. When the song ended, Sango squealed and jumped up and down.

"Oh my gosh! I love you!"

Miroku laughed, running a hand through his hair while catching his breath. "Dang, Kagome. You can dance, girl."

Kagome flashed him a smile, starting to feel comfortable around them now. "Thanks, Miroku."

"Inuyasha told us about your practices last night when we had our meeting. But to see you dance is different. It's different when you watch a dancer actually dance, when they put their heart into it." Sango beamed. "Let's go on to the next one. I want to see what else you can do."

Inuyasha chuckled and searched for the next song. Kagome just shook her head, hoping that she wouldn't disappoint them as they went on to the next song. She heard the next song play and began to run through the routine in her head. She remembered the lyrics that helped to remember some of the moves and she was pretty certain she remembered the entire routine to this one.

The morning went on with the group doing all six of the songs that Kagome had learned over the weekend. On the third song, Kagome had missed a couple of steps, but Inuyasha encouraged her to keep going and don't even think about it. "Keep moving! Get back in the groove!" he would say, and she had forgotten about her mistake and got her head back into the routine. She was grateful that he played off her mistakes, which she had a few in the fifth and sixth songs, as they were the more complicated and faster ones from yesterday that she already had a hard time with. But the entire group was very encouraging and helpful as they all would go over the moves with her, doing the songs over and over until she made no mistakes and was as perfect as everyone else. In the end, she didn't bother with making any signature moves because by then she was exhausted, especially after working the entire weekend and then having to work with Inuyasha all day yesterday. The epsom salts and essential oils in the hot bath helped, but her muscles remembered the pain from the day before and she could feel it quicker, as if not enough time went by for her muscles to fully heal.

"Alright, that's it for the day," Inuyasha said, noticing Kagome's movements slowing down. "I think we've all gotten an idea on how fast Kagome can learn the songs. She's as good as we are." Inuyasha looked to where she was standing next to Sango, noticing her huffing and puffing but trying to put a brave face on for everyone. "We'll pick this up again tomorrow morning. Back to our normal practices."

Everyone nodded and said their goodbyes, knowing that was their dismissal. Kagome had her hands on her hips, taking in gulps of air and sweating like she had just ran a marathon. She felt her legs numb on the fifth song and that was it for her strength and energy. She ran a hand through her hair, getting some of the ones that stuck onto her face.

"Hey."

She turned to notice a man who looked just as old as she was. His youthful appearance made his facial expression even more endearing and cute as he smiled at her, his green eyes full of mischief and youth. Kagome smiled back at him, noticing his fangs. He had short, red hair with pointed ears and she had noticed earlier in the day that he had a long light brown tail. He was a demon, obviously, but she didn't know what species, which made her think that Inuyasha and this demon were the only demons in Kikyo's dance group.

"Hi."

The demon smiled at her and placed his hands on his hips. "I really like the way you dance. You danced before?"

Kagome shook her head, the two of them with their hands on their hips standing across of each other. "No. Not really. I like to dance for fun but never professionally like this," she said, widening her eyes. "This is definitely different from what I'm used to."

He smiled with a nod. "Yeah, I bet. It's a bit of a rush though when we're performing and it's worth all these hours sweating and bleeding in here."

"Bleeding?" she asked with a chuckle. "Never thought I would have to bleed for this position."

"You already got it," he said. "You just have to bleed for the fans."

Kagome nodded her understanding, feeling like life finally came back into her body again. She straightened up and titled her head to look up at him. "What's your name again?"

"Oh. Sorry… my name is Shippo. Shippo Takahashi." He bowed, making Kagome bow back at his mannerism. She smiled as they both looked at each other.

"You are very cute, Shippo."

For that, he blushed, scratching the back of his head. "Uh… thanks." He began to fidget in place and she bit the inside of her cheek before she laughed and got him even more embarrassed. He wore a green tank top with loose jeans pants and white sneakers.

"Sorry. I meant you seem very young and well-mannered…"

Shippo regained his composure and smiled at her. "Oh. Haha, yeah. I'm a kitsune-youkai and I'm only 150 years old."

At that, Kagome nearly fell over as she looked at him dumb-founded. She knew that demons lived a long time, Hiten and Manten told her that they were centuries old, which she always brushed off because she spent so much time with them that they were friends to her. But here was another demon telling her that he was over a century old. Demons and humans knew of each other, of course, but it was still startling to her to here about their powers and capabilities and how long they can live compared to humans.

"Really? Amazing…"

Shippo smiled, noticing her astonishment, and he puffed with pride. "Yeah. I'm an adult now," he said. "But I'm still young in demon standards, just reaching maturity. And to humans I look like I'm 25."

Kagome nodded her agreement. "That's only because demons tend to age quickly from infancy to adulthood for the first decade or two of their lives. After that, we will age very very slowly and outlive many humans by centuries," he explained.

Kagome's eyes widened and she shook her head slowly with a smile. "Amazing. How can you live that long?" she asked, not talking about the scientific process of it.

Shippo frowned, thinking about it, but then he shrugged. "I don't know. Genetics, I think."

Kagome giggled with a shake of her head, seeing that he didn't catch on to her question. "Never mind."

"Hey, Shippo." She looked over to see Inuyasha coming over to pat Shippo on the shoulder a few times.

"Hey, Inuyasha," Shippo said, looking at the hanyou with a huge smile. "I like Kagome. I'm glad you decided to hire her."

Inuyasha smirked as he looked at her, making her flush. "Yeah. I'm brilliant, aren't I?" That made her huff and roll her eyes with a laugh. Shippo joined along.

"Hey," Miroku called, coming over to them. "You guys want to go to lunch at Yura Yura?" Sango came up to his side, grabbing onto his arm, and looked expectantly at Kagome.

She thought about it for a moment, thinking she really wanted to go home and bathe, although more than likely she would just flop on her couch and pass out. But then again, she could tell they really wanted to get to know her more and hang out, and she wanted to do the same.

"Yeah. Let's go!" Shippo said, turning to face Miroku and Sango. Inuyasha nodded his head and all four of them looked to Kagome, waiting expectantly.

She shrugged with a smile. "Sure. Why not?" She smiled at them and moved to grab her things as everyone did the same. Some of the group had decided to go to Yura Yura too so they all filed out of the room and headed across the street.

Kagome felt like she was in a deja vu as this had just happened yesterday with Inuyasha. But then again, he did say that they normally ate at Yura Yura because it was conveniently located across the street and they made really good food. She didn't argue with any of those points. As they made their way out of the academy, Sango decided to spark up a conversation.

"Hey, Kagome," she said, following Kagome out of the building as Inuyasha held the door open for them. "Why did you apply for this position anyways? Like, why now?"

Kagome smiled as Sango came next to her. "Well… I think I just wanted a change in my life. That and the fact that two of my friends were on my case to try out for this position. So I guess if I didn't do it, I would've had to listen to them moan and groan about it all day long."

The two women laughed as the men brought up the rear and the rest of the group followed suit. They crossed the road, all of them making small talk with each other, seeming like a group of friends out in the city.

"Well I guess that's motivation enough." Kagome nodded her agreement. "So… where are you from?"

Kagome sighed, knowing this was going to be inevitable. But she wasn't used to it as her friends at Midnite never asked and never prodded into anyone's business unless it was offered. The women all knew to leave well enough alone, especially other people's lives and the reasons for them working at Midnite. But still, her only friends were those at Midnite. As Kagome looked at Sango, she wanted Sango to be her friend too. Someone normal. Someone outside of Midnite with a different lifestyle than hers and a different perspective on life than she had. She wanted Miroku, Shippo and Inuyasha to be her friend too. So she would have to open up to them eventually and let them know about herself, at least some of it.

"I grew up on Shikoku Island. My father died when I was a teenager and my mother still lives there," that she could only assume.

Sango gasped, looking at her apologetically. "I'm sorry, Kagome. I didn't mean to…"

"No," she said, shaking her head. "It's okay. I've gotten over it." She did. Fast. That was the total, honest truth.

They reached Yura Yura and Inuyasha opened the door for them to enter.

"So… you stayed here and your mother went back to Shikoku?" Sango asked just as Miroku grabbed her elbow and pulled her towards an empty booth. The two of them didn't pay too much attention to what was around them as they were so engrossed in their conversation, or at least Sango was. Kagome followed the two as Inuyasha and Shippo walked behind her. They were able to find a booth with a table directly across that were both open. The four of them fit into a booth and Shippo sat at the opposite table with three of the others.

Sango got into the booth and patted the seat next to her so Kagome sat down. "Yes. I came here when I was 18 and… I just fell in love with the city." It was getting easier and easier to lie to them, which she knew wasn't right and she hated doing, but she couldn't dare tell them the truth. And even if she got to know them more and became good friends with them, Kagome was sure to never tell anyone about her past as it always came back to haunt her. There were some things that she would never be able to share with anyone, for their sake and hers.

Sango smiled with a nod as Miroku and Inuyasha sat across of them. Miroku reached out for her hand and she gave it to him with a smile, feeling his fingers play with hers on the table. She turned her attention back to Kagome. "What did you do when you first moved here?"

Kagome shrugged. "I worked for Starlite ever since I moved here."

"Oh. Yeah, that's a good paying job. You're lucky to have gotten it so quickly."

Kagome nodded with a smile. "I knew some people and they helped me to get that job."

"You work at Starlite?" Shippo asked. Kagome turned to face him, adding him into their conversation since the others at his table were deep in laughter and conversation about something. He seemed more interested in what they were talking about.

"Yeah. I've been there for nine years."

"Woah! Nine years! I've always wanted to eat there," Shippo said longingly. Kagome giggled at his expression.

"I've never once seen you there, and I've eaten there a few times," Inuyasha said. She looked at him across from her and the intensity of his golden eyes gave her butterflies. She played off her nerves and rolled with it.

"There are three levels. And I'm only there four nights a week, so maybe we just missed each other. You've never seen me in the city before either," she said, hoping he wouldn't dig too deep into it. His ears tweaked and he made a face to agree with her.

Sango looked up just as the waitress came over and gave both their tables menus. "Oh. Hi, Kanna."

The waitress smiled at Sango and the rest of them. "Well, hello all of you. Nice to see you all back again," she said, turning so that Shippo's table could be included in on the conversation. "Will you be having your usual for today?"

Shippo rose his hand a little too quickly. "I will!"

Kanna giggled and got out her notepad, jotting down his order. "One shiitake udon." Shippo nodded and looked to the rest of his table. Everyone said their orders, which was mostly their 'usual'. Kagome marveled at how well this restaurant knew them and remembered their orders. Kanna then turned her attention back to their booth and Kagome was the first to start.

"Ummm… do you have tempura udon?" she asked, thinking to order something similar to Shippo since she didn't have much time to look over the menu again. Kanna nodded and wrote it down on her notepad. Sango then went for her usual, as did Miroku and Inuyasha. Although with Inuyasha, Kanna had to smile and ask how much.

"Make it three."

Kagome arched her eyebrow at him as Kanna excused herself. "Just three this time?" she teased. He smiled at her and patted his belly.

"I'm trying to watch my figure."

Miroku burst out laughing, as did Sango and the other table. "As if." Miroku said, leaning so that he could look at Inuyasha sitting next to him. "You can eat enough ramen to feed both our tables and you would still be hungry."

Inuyasha glared at Miroku as the women laughed. "No! I would get a stomach ache, baka!"

Miroku laughed and Inuyasha whacked him on the shoulder for it. "Oww!" he said, rubbing his shoulder playfully since Inuyasha didn't really mean it. He smiled at Inuyasha and shook his head. "Well… you can eat a whole boar, and you know it."

Sango rolled her eyes and just nodded her head, turning her attention back to Kagome. "What about you, Kagome? What is your favorite meal?"

Kagome smiled at her. "I love udon." She looked down at her hands, a slight bittersweet feeling washing over her. "Shikoku is known for their original udon recipes and I grew up on udon. So I've always loved it. It's my favorite meal since I was a child."

Sango smiled fondly, remembering her childhood. "I always loved shabu-shabu. My mother would make it for me only on special occasions, like when I aced a test or on my birthday. But I always begged her and she would always make it for me when I asked," she said with a smile.

Miroku hummed, making both the women look at him. "I don't know what I like…"

"Who asked you?" Inuyasha asked, but Miroku just dismissed him.

"I like yakitori, chicken and beef. And I like soba," he said, really thinking deeply on it which made Kagome giggle.

"Hmph, you like anything," Inuyasha said, closing his eyes and leaning back, crossing his arms. Miroku eyed his friend down, arching his eyebrow.

"As if… you're the one who likes anything and everything. And all of us here knows what your favorite dish is," he said, looking to Sango. She smiled at him as they both continued to hold each other's hands.

"Ramen?" Kagome asked knowingly.

Shippo nodded. "Yup. Really hard to figure this guy out, huh?" Inuyasha growled, making Kagome blink at him in surprise and Shippo laugh at him. Kagome hadn't heard Inuyasha growl like that before and for a moment she was a bit shocked. _'Well… he is an inu-hanyou. I guess that's expected,'_ she thought, wondering if Shippo could growl too since he was a kitsune-youkai.

Shippo sobered and looked at Sango, as if she had asked the original question to all of them. "My favorite dish is onigiri!"

All of them laughed at the ecstatic way he announced it, making Shippo frown. "What did I say?"

"Onigiri?" Inuyasha asked with a snicker. "Typical." Shippo glared at him, turning his chair out so that he could face him.

"Hey! Onigiri is so cute. And they're delicious," he defended with a pout. Kagome shook her head at his childish character and had to admire him for being so young and pure at heart.

"Hey," Sango said, once again gaining everyone's attention. "How did the practice go this weekend?" she asked, looking between Inuyasha and Kagome. The two of them looked at each other and then looked away, Inuyasha just shrugging.

"It went okay. Obviously, since she knows six routines by now."

Sango nodded with a smile. "Yes, I know that. And I'm still surprised at how fast you learned them, Kagome." The girl just smiled with a shake of her head, obviously embarrassed. "Did you guys even take a break or anything?"

Kagome nodded. "We went for lunch yesterday and then spent the rest of the day practicing. Saturday we only did one song."

Miroku nodded, remembering what Inuyasha had told them last night. "Yeah, Inuyasha told us that you had learned five songs yesterday and one song on Saturday. That's amazing, Kagome," he said with a shake of his head, astonished.

Kagome looked to Inuyasha with wonder. "That's right. You had to meet with Kikyo and Miroku and Sango." He looked at her, waiting for her question. "How did it go?"

He shrugged, sighing as he slumped a little in the booth, getting comfortable. "Kikyo just wanted to know how things were going with your practices and how you were keeping up with me."

Miroku smirked. "Yeah. Obviously we didn't have to be there."

"Most of the time it was just Naraku and Kikyo asking Inuyasha how your practices have been going," Sango said.

Kagome frowned at Inuyasha. "Is Kikyo worried that I can't do it?"

Inuyasha waved his hand dismissively. "No. She's just freaking out and stressing because of the time we have."

"We still have to get our costumes for each number and start having them shipped to O'ahu along with Kikyo's costumes," Miroku said, taking a hand from Sango's to rest his head in his palm, closing his eyes. "There's so much to do."

"It always feels stressful like this," Sango said, trying not to alarm Kagome but to warn her of what things are like in a popstar's life on the road. "We tend to get our costumes two to three months before the concert in case there's any weight changes and what-nots. In your case, we were talking last night about getting your sizes so we can send them in and have Kikyo's fashion designer quickly make all of your costumes. I think ours are almost finished so she will have to start with yours soon and finish them all."

Kagome nodded, interested in all the behind the scenes that goes on. Inuyasha shrugged, catching her attention. "I told Kikyo that you would meet with her sometime this week to sign your new contract and then get measured. Naraku will be there with the contract."

"I can be there, if you want, and can help measure you," Sango said with a comforting smile. Kagome nodded, thankfully.

Kanna came back and started to drop off plates at Shippo's table first, so they began to dig in. Everyone was starving after dancing the entire morning and with the smell of food came their huge appetites.

"What else did Kikyo ask?" Kagome asked Inuyasha. He looked at her, trying to remember what Kikyo said, but the smell of food made his belly growl. Miroku eyed him down, hearing Inuyasha's stomach, and had to hold in his chuckle.

"Ummm… she asked if I thought if you would be ready in three months." Kagome's eyes widened and he watched as she sat there, staring at him. He smiled and nodded his head at her. "Yes. I told her I think you would be ready by then."

Sango and Miroku both added their agreements. "I think so too," Miroku said. "It's obvious now that we were all able to dance together and see how fast you pick up on things. The hardest part now is the transitions, but that we can do further down the road."

"I think it's safe to say that you'll be ready by the time the concert comes," Sango said. Kagome smiled, glad that they all agreed that she was ready and capable. She was glad that she was working hard and it was paying off, that they noticed it too.

Kanna came back to their table this time to drop off their food. She smiled as she dropped off Inuyasha's three bowls of ramen and then everyone else's food. With a bow, she left them alone.

Kagome's stomach growled and she clapped her hands together. "Itadakimasu!" The others followed suit and quickly began to eat their food. She was so hungry that she didn't even realize how fast she was eating until half her udon was gone and her stomach was now feeling the pain of eating so fast. She had to take a breather and as she leaned back, she noticed Inuyasha was on his second bowl of ramen. She just watched him in pure fascination at how much he can eat and how fast. He was like a starving animal that just saw and tasted food for weeks. As if he could feel her staring at him, Inuyasha looked up and caught her eyes. She smiled at him and shook her head in disbelief. He simply smirked with a noodle coming out of his mouth and continued putting more into his mouth. Little conversation was made after they had their food.

Shippo began to make conversation with them as he and his table were finished with their food. Shippo couldn't contain his excitement about the concert and how excited he was to go to Hawai'i for the first time. Since Kikyo was a rising star, this was her first break in Hawai'i, and all of them would be going there for the first time as a dance group at least. Kagome shared with them some of her stories of the first time she went to Hawai'i and how she learned to SCUBA on Maui and the beautiful rainforests that she hiked in and the sunrises and sunsets that the islands have. Shippo just stared in awe at Kagome as she talked to them about her experiences. He was captivated by everything she said, getting excited to go not for work but for play.

Once they were all done, stuffed and content, fatigue was starting to hit Kagome fast and hard.

"Ugh… I think I better get home. I'm exhausted…" she said, slurring her words. The weekend's lack of sleep, hard work yesterday and a night of crying was catching up to her again. On top of today's practice. She thought she had all the sleep she needed, but she was wrong.

Kanna came back and began to take away their dishes while Inuyasha picked up the check, again. Sango had to explain to Kagome that Inuyasha always paid. No matter how many times they fought for the check or tried to get the check from the waitress before the end of their meal, Inuyasha always knew and always picked up the check for them. Kagome just stared at him as she explained it to her, making her wonder what kind of a man, well a hanyou, would do that. _'He must be rich. Well… very rich if they eat here every day.'_ Yesterday at lunch he did mention that his father was the 'Lord of the Western Lands', whatever that meant. Was that a youkai thing? When she did research on Kikyo's group during the auditions, she had learned that Inuyasha was the son of Inutaisho and Izayoi Fujimoto, one of the top most riches and famous family names in all of Japan. But she didn't deep deeper into what made them so rich and famous and what his family does now as their business.

Shippo stood and Kagome noticed him at the corner of her eye, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Well… let's go then. The ladies wanna head out and I need to get home to watch some Netflix."

Inuyasha shook his head. "You and your anime." He got out of the booth and Miroku scooted his way out, making Kagome and Sango follow suit. The group walked towards the door with Shippo opening the door for all of them and everyone filed out as Kanna said her goodbyes to them all.

The warm air shocked her out of her stupor and the sounds of the city was welcoming now to help clear her mind and get her ready to take the train back home.

Sango sighed, blinking a few times to adjust to the bright sun. "I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

Kagome nodded. "So what's the plan for tomorrow?" she asked, looking to Miroku and then to Inuyasha.

"We go back to our regular routine," Inuyasha explained. "It depends on what we're doing, either getting ready for a show, a tour, or just downtime in between. But normally we all like to come to the academy every other day to workout together and then brush up on our routines. We usually do some online program or just dance it out."

Miroku looked to Inuyasha, curious. "You think we'll workout or just keep getting ready for the show?"

Inuyasha shrugged, looking at Kagome. "I think Kagome and I, or the four of us, can just practice on our own without the others having to do it. That way, they can work out if they want but Kagome can still learn all the songs."

Sango sighed with a smile, shaking her head thoughtfully. "I can't believe it's three months away."

"Yeah. And time is going to fly by fast," Miroku said.

Kagome took that moment to let out a yawn and everyone just laughed or shook their head. She smiled apologetically.

"Okay. I'll see you guys tomorrow then. I'm going straight to a shower and then my bed," Kagome said with a huge smile.

"Tomorrow!" Sango said with a wave. She turned around and set off, heading for the train station. Miroku was right. Three months was going to fly by fast. And she would have to kick it into high gear if she wanted to learn all the songs and then the transitions. It would be an interesting time but she was excited, especially now that the group seemed to accept her, and she was making friends with Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango and Shippo. Soon, her dream of being up there on stage as a real dancer would come true.


	5. C5- Almost There

**Author's Note:** I'm back everyone! I noticed that my chapters have been shorter than what I'm used to writing, but that's only 'cuz I'm trying to set everyone up for the story ahead. Trust me, the story will progress and get ready for some 'darkness' and even sex. The beginning was the easy breeezy part.

Just to let you know, I have an itch to write a fanfiction for Vampire Knight. I just finished watching it for the... second?... time on Netflix and I am hooked again. The last time I saw it, it left me feeling bereft, and I was a little irritated that I had gotten addicted to the anime to begin with when the ending seemed a little unfinished to me. At least for me, I wanted more. Now that I rewatched it, the desire is back to write my own story for Vampire Knight, on what happens after the anime (I'm not a manga person). So just to put a bug in your ear, if you're in to Vampire Knight, I will be working on that too.

Anyways, for my love... Inuyasha... enjoy this chapter!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha (I won't say it again ^_^)

* * *

The early morning hours were always a nice time to catch the train or walk the streets of Tokyo. But around this time, people were starting their day just as she was and she was finding the train ride a little hectic. _'Hmmm… maybe I should get there an hour early and just stretch so I can bypass all this.'_ Kagome sighed, looking out the window of the train as it bounced along, thinking about what her day would bring.

It has been one month already, one month of long days of learning all the songs and constantly practicing them. True to his word, Inuyasha had practiced with her every day after they had their morning workout with the gang. Kagome was shocked and envious at how dedicated they were to their fitness and to each other. They worked out every other day, or sometimes more, either at a gym nearby or in the academy since they all had access keys and it would be free. The gang obviously liked working out together and enjoyed spending time with each other. They weren't just coworkers, they were friends, good friends who ate together, worked out together and sometimes went out on the weekends together. Of course she had been invited many times over the past month, and she had to decline them all as she had to work on the weekends, but everyone still wanted to spend time with her which made her feel welcomed.

Kagome sighed, changing the song on her iPod before focusing on the passing buildings again. Her body ached in many places it hadn't before and it reminded her that she was getting fitter by the day. She still had her curves, curves that she was born with and that never went away no matter how many hours of dancing she put in at Midnite. But she loved her figure and never would want that to go away just because she's exercising a lot more now. Inuyasha had told her that things would start to settle down once the show was over. They were only practicing every day with her so that she could get all the routines and transitions, which she did. And everyone needed the practices anyways to make sure the show went off without a hitch. She looked forward to after the concert when things go back to whatever 'normal' the group knows and she can see how she can fit her life around this new job. _'Hmmm… I wonder what'll happen once the show is finish. It seems like we're only needed to work for the concert… I have to ask Sango.'_

The train's speakers came on, announcing the next station, and began it to slow down. This was her stop. As the train came to a stop, Kagome got out into the arrival crowd of people and began to head down the stairs to the street level. She made her way towards the dance academy and thought about today. It was Monday and Inuyasha had told them that starting this week, Kikyo would be joining them in practice so they could practice with her. Of course, they would have to sit back and watch him teach her her moves. But once Kikyo got it, they had to join along to make sure that Kikyo and Inuyasha liked the way the dancers' moves blended with Kikyo's moves. They both had to compliment each other. Kagome was excited to see how this line of job works, how everything is put together behind the scenes in making a pop-star's concert.

She opened the doors into the academy and smiled as she walked past the front desk.

"Good morning, Ginger," she said with a wave, moving her keycard up to the door lock. The door dinged opened.

"Good morning, Kagome."

She made her way into their usual studio room and looked to see that almost the entire gang was here. She looked at everyone, noting that Inuyasha, Shippo, and four other dancers were still not here.

"Kagome!" She smiled at Sango and went to sit next to her on the ground, plopping her duffle bag down. "Did you bring all your clothes?"

"Yeah. I did what you told me to," she said with a smile. Even though she had to work last night, she at least had a good four hours of sleep. That would be enough for her to function through an entire day of practicing. Sango had told her that it would be better if Kagome brought extra clothes and her toiletries to the studio so that they could take a bath after practice and head out for lunch together. Since lunch became a regular thing for them, Kagome almost completed her mission to try everything off Yura Yura's menu. She had decided to start bringing her duffle bag, much to Sango's advisement, just so she could change out of her sweaty clothes in case anything happened. Sango had mentioned that it was that time for them to stick around after practice and go over the logistics of the concert, especially with Kikyo.

"Good. We usually do that if we know we're going to be at the academy the entire day. I'm sure Yura Yura's guests would appreciate it too," she said with a giggle.

Kagome followed suit and began to stretch out her legs. She looked around the room and noticed Miroku talking to some of the girls as he crouched beside them and laughed at something they said.

"Where's Inuyasha?"

Sango smiled as she followed Kagome's line of sight. "He's with Kikyo. He met up with her early this morning. They should be here soon." Sango turned to look at Kagome, her eyes dancing with mischief. "Do you like him?"

Kagome nearly choked, looking at her in disbelief. "W…what?!"

Sango laughed. "Oh come on, Kagome. It's obvious."

"What's obvious?" she sputtered, turning her head from Sango? "There's nothing between us, Sango."

"Oh, really?" she asked suspiciously, leaning forward on her knees to try and see Kagome's face. "Because I've known Inuyasha a long time. I've seen the way you guys dance together and the way you both look at each other in the mirrors. He seems very comfortable with you."

Kagome turned to look at her, intrigued. "W…What do you mean?"

Sango arched her eyebrow knowingly. "I mean… he seems to have taken a liking to you. But, he hasn't told Miroku anything about it. I've asked Miroku to talk to Inuyasha about it and he wasn't able to get anything out of him," she said with a pout. Kagome shook her head, irritated. _'Oh my goodness, this woman…'_

"Sango… you really are an interesting person," she said, shaking her head in exasperation.

Sango laughed. "Well, I like to call it for what it is. You'll get to know me better."

"I think I know you enough." The two of them laughed, stretching out on the floor. Kagome laid back and began to stretch out her thighs and glutes, pulling her knees into her chest. The two of them made small talk about their weekend as more people began to show up. Finally, Inuyasha and Kikyo were the last to show.

Kagome sat up and noticed that Naraku was the last one in behind the pair. He wore something casual, just a black shirt with jeans pants, but he still looked like a businessman in them. She then looked towards Inuyasha and Kikyo as they looked at each other, clearly still talking about something. The chatter in the room began to dim down as they noticed the pair walk in and everyone looked to them, waiting for practice to start.

"Morning, everyone," Kikyo said, reaching up to pat Inuyasha on the chest fondly. "We were just talking about how well Kagome has done this past month in getting down all the routines and making it this far." Kikyo's eyes fell on her, making everyone else look at her with smiles of approval. Kagome smiled back, embarrassed. "I want to say congratulations to you, Kagome. And I hope Inuyasha and the others haven't worn you out yet."

She shook her head. "No, no. I'm still here." Kikyo nodded.

"Well," she said, taking in everyone as they sat scattered on the floor while she and Inuyasha stood in the center of the room in front of them. "From today on, I will be here with you guys. Inuyasha has choreographed my moves and we'll go through each song and see how much we can do today," she said, turning to him to see his nod of approval. "I at least want to get one song done today so that shouldn't be too hard. But at the end of practice, I also want to spend an hour or two looking at the venue pictures and starting to think about our placements and the lighting."

Everyone said their agreements and Kikyo called them to stand. Inuyasha moved to the front and Kagome moved her duffle bag to the side, fixing her clothes. Today she decided to wear a blue spaghetti strap with a white basketball pants that had a blue line going down the side of each leg. She went back to stand next to Shiori in the back.

She watched as Inuyasha stood in front of Miroku and Sango, then the two lines of everyone else behind the pair. Kikyo moved to the middle of the front mirrors where Naraku sat and leaned against the mirrors watching everyone. She had on a big dark green shirt that went past her butt and Kagome could only assume she had at least dancer's shorts or booty shorts underneath. She was sure to find out once Kikyo began to dance.

"Okay. Let's start with 'Who's Got You?' since that will be your opening number," Inuyasha said as he looked at Kikyo. She nodded her agreement. "And this one will be quite simple for you, Kikyo. I think it'll be more of the transitions for us than anything else for you."

Inuyasha nodded at Naraku and he pressed play on Inuyasha's iPod. The song began to play and everyone began to move, getting warmed up to dance. Kagome began to like all of Kikyo's songs now that she had to dance to them all and pretty much knew them by heart after all the times she listened to them over and over while she learned the moves. But she didn't mind them. She liked the way Kikyo sang and her lyrics. She nodded her head, waiting for the verse to start.

The gang began to dance on cue but Kagome noticed that Inuyasha didn't dance along with them. He was doing something totally different and she realized that he was doing Kikyo's part. She couldn't pay attention to him as he was too distracting for her, so she just focused on her own part and moved along with everyone else. When the song ended, Naraku paused it and Kikyo moved forward.

"That wasn't too bad," she agreed, going to stand next to Inuyasha. "I did like most of it, although some of it was a little boring."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Let's just try it and see how you like it once you do it yourself. You still have to sing the entire time. No lip-singing." Kikyo stuck her tongue out at him with a face. She stood a step behind him, off to his side but in front of Miroku and Sango, and watched his every move. Inuyasha began the count, just like how he did with Kagome when she first learned the songs, and everyone behind them watched. Kagome noticed how this practice, and she was assuming from here on out, was different from the others in that Kikyo was now learning, not herself, and now they would have to watch and wait on Kikyo to get the moves before they could all join in and dance. But the moves were much more simplified for Kikyo since she would have to sing and dance. Kagome smiled with a tilt of her head, liking the change now that it wasn't her having to learn it all and be in the spotlight. Kikyo was probably used to it, though.

"Now, step, step, step, push and down," Inuyasha said, his eyes focused on Kikyo in the mirror. He had his right hand up the entire time as if he was holding a microphone, his eyes glued to Kikyo's reflection. "Ready?" She nodded and the two of them moved to his count, their hands and feet going along with his count.

"Good." They moved back to their places and he did the next four count. "Rock, rock, sway your hips and whip your hair." Kagome watched as Inuyasha did it for Kikyo. She was amazed and loved how she was learning how choreographers worked with singers. It was something totally new to her because she's never had someone to teach her how to dance. She had learned everything on her own and just by watching the girls in the club. Before Onigumo put her out on the floor, she would be in his office for weeks watching the girls dance, learning moves from them and the way they mingled with the gentlemen. She learned by watching.

"Got it?" Kikyo nodded at Inuyasha and he counted down for the two of them. He nodded his head as she did the eight count, still a little unsure, but watching him the whole time.

"Okay. Now I want all of us to do the first eight count. Kikyo, you and I will do your part." She nodded. Inuyasha signaled to Naraku and the music began to play. This time everyone moved and Kagome watched as Kikyo and Inuyasha both did her part, the two of them holding up a pretend microphone and waving their free arm, ending with a flip of their hair. She had to refrain herself from laughing. It was strange to see a grown man flick his hair, but she understood that he was only teaching Kikyo her part. He turned to Kikyo to ask her how she felt about it.

"I like it. Once I get it down, I'll be able to do it better."

"Okay. Let's try it three more times." Naraku kept the beat playing, this time having the extended instrumental version of the song. Kagome liked how they had a track that had Kikyo singing and a track with just a long instrumental version, which was what they used most of the time when practicing.

"Good." The music kept playing as Inuyasha then looked at Kikyo again. "Next move. Step, step, kick, move, move, kick, pump, kick." Kikyo nodded her head to the beat as she watched him move along the floor. "Hands," he said, going back to his original spot. "Up, chest, wave out in front of you and snap, snap, hands, hands, hands." Kagome noticed it was the gang's same moves but now he had to adjust it for Kikyo's hand that was to be holding a microphone while she sang.

"Let's do it." They waited for Inuyasha's count and then began to move together. It was surreal to her to be dancing with everyone. It was much different from Midnite and it made her feel much more connected and alive, especially with all the bodies around her moving to the same beat. She had shared with Midoriko and Ayumi how she had become good friends with everyone in the group after being here for a month. After a month, she was finding out that she liked having friends. Sure, Ayumi and Midoriko were her friends, but for some reason, Kagome felt like they were different. Their friendship started at a dark point in her life and because of their lifestyle and work, their friendship just had a different twist to it. Whereas, the friends she made here with Kikyo's group, it was more in the light and more relaxing, like a breath of fresh air. She never had these kind of friends before. But she found that she was liking it.

"Okay. Good." Inuyasha waved them all back to their spots. "Let's do the two eight counts." Everyone agreed and waited for him. He counted them down and they started from the top. Kagome looked at herself in the mirror while occasionally watching Inuyasha and Kikyo move together. It was amazing to see the entire routine play out. They didn't move on until Kikyo got comfortable with the dance thus far and was making less mistakes.

"Okay, on to the chorus," Inuyasha said, nodding as he noticed Kikyo starting to memorize the first verse. They all began to watch him as he started up on the next set.

By the end of the second song, it was almost lunchtime and Kikyo waved her hands in the air.

"Let's go for lunch. I need a break," she said, placing her hands on her hips to catch her breath.

Inuyasha turned around, gazing at her for a moment, judging to see if she really meant it or was just faking it. "Fine. Let's break for lunch but be back here in an hour. So… 12:30," he said, looking down at his Fitbit.

Everyone nodded and moved off the floor towards their personal belongings on the sides. Kagome went towards hers, bringing her hair back away from her face to put into a ponytail. She was sweating enough that her bangs clung to her face. She sighed as she sat down, going to her knees in an easy stretch while getting things from her bag and checking her phone.

"Hey, Kagome. Lunch?"

She looked up to see Sango looking down at her with a smile. "Sure," she said, smiling back. "Now, or are we changing?"

Sango waved her off. "We can shower later. After practice we'll go over more logistic things with the venue so we can take a bath then. There's a locker room area but it's okay if you leave your stuff here. We all do it."

Kagome nodded, grabbed her phone and wallet, and stood up. Just then, Miroku walked over to the two of them and snuck a kiss on Sango's cheek.

"Ready for lunch?" he asked her, his eyes going to Kagome. "You coming, right, Kagome?"

She nodded. "Yup. Lead the way." Miroku nodded and the three of them began to walk towards the door.

"Come on, Inuyasha!" he called. "We're heading to Yura's." Inuyasha turned from his spot talking with Kikyo and he nodded, waving his hand at them.

"I'll meet you guys there."

Miroku nodded his understanding and held the door open for Kagome and Sango to head out. The two women talked about the practice and how things were going so far. Kagome had admitted her feelings of how much she enjoys being here, the dynamics of the group and the great vibe that she felt with everyone.

Sango laughed as they exited the academy with others from the group joining them. They all waited for the crosswalk signal to change. "Yeah, everyone is like family here. I'm glad that you feel comfortable with us now," she said, putting one hand on Kagome's shoulder. She looked expectantly at Kagome, but then smiled with a wink. "A month ago you wouldn't let us touch you. I remember how you reacted when Miroku tried to put his hand around you," she said with a laugh.

The light turned as Kagome smiled it off, the three of them heading across the street. "Yeah, sorry about that Miroku." He simply waved off her apology with a shake of his head. "I have a thing about men touching me like that. With you it's okay. But with men… it takes me a while to trust them before I let them touch me."

Sango frowned, letting Kagome go as she thought about her confession for a moment. They reached Yura Yura and Miroku opened the door for them. As they walked in, Kagome noticed that some of the gang were already here and they waved as the three of them entered. She waved back and went straight for an open booth, this one a little close to the others who were already seated in a booth. She sat down and watched as Sango and Miroku sat down opposite of her. She smiled and noticed that Sango had her thinking face on.

"Kagome… were you… did someone hurt you? Is that why you have a hard time with men touching you?"

Kagome looked away, feeling her heart speed up. _'No… Calm down, Kagome.'_ She could tell that Sango was someone who could read people, which made her feel uncomfortable now and immediately her walls went up. _'I have to be careful around her,'_ she thought, even though she knew that Sango wasn't a person with bad intentions. She just saw too much. And right now, Kagome wasn't ready to open up to anyone, let alone these people whom she just met a month ago. If she still hasn't opened up with her best friends at Midnite, she was definitely not going to do it with the gang here. Although, she had to admit, she was opening up to them much quicker and easier than she did with her friends at Midnite.

She shrugged, looking off to the side so that Sango couldn't read her anymore than Kagome wanted her to. "It's not like that." She looked at Miroku, catching his eyes rather than Sango's. "Sorry," she apologized again.

Miroku smiled, a little exasperated. "Don't worry about it, Kagome. Honestly, it's my fault for crossing the boundaries. But now that I know, I obviously won't do it again 'cuz I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable." She smiled at him and dropped the subject, hoping that Sango would do the same.

Thankfully, the waitress came by and left menus with them. They all greeted Kanna as she left to give them a minute on their orders. Now that Kagome was a 'regular' here, she noticed that Kanna worked on the weekdays at Yura Yura. She glanced at the menu and decided to try the next new thing, checking off another item on the menu.

"So… from now on, we'll be practicing with Kikyo?" Miroku and Sango nodded at her question. "Is this how practices usually go? He teaches her and then we just wait until we all do it together?"

"Yeah. Pretty much. It's slower than when we are learning the routine ourselves. But it's also nice because we get a little bit of a break and it's not so intense for us. So at least our days are spent without too much work on our end."

"Yeah, it's nice," Miroku said with a nod, placing his arm around Sango's shoulders. She leaned into Miroku and the two of them looked back at Kagome. "At least we don't have too much work to do. But we still have to be there so that Inuyasha can visualize what we all look like cohesively. And make any changes either to our routine, our placements or based on whether or not Kikyo likes everything."

Kagome arched her eyebrow. "So, you will change the routine if Kikyo doesn't like it?"

Sango nodded with a snicker. "Yeah. When we all dance it together, sometimes it might look a little off… we might move further from her than we first thought, or she just might have a diva moment and not like what Inuyasha put together at all," she said, rolling her eyes, sounding like it's happened before. "So then Inuyasha will have to change it to make her happy because in the end, Kikyo has to approve it."

"It gets a little complicated," Miroku explained. "But that's why he has me and Sango. We help Inuyasha with the routine for each song and the three of us come up with all the moves. He is the one in the end who decides if we go with it or not. But we all work together so that not only one of us has the pressure of making up all the routines."

Kagome nodded her understanding. There was so much more behind the scenes than she originally thought. And she knew that the three of them were probably the 'leaders' of the dance group, but now she sees that they're all the choreographers in a sense. Inuyasha was just the head choreographer and decided the final moves while also making up Kikyo's moves too.

"So… Inuyasha listens to you guys? Or were you guys brought on to be choreographers too?"

Miroku looked down at the top of Sango's head. "Well… when we were hired… it was sort of like a friendship thing at first."

Sango nodded. "We've known Inuyasha and Kikyo for… I think about five years," she said, moving so she could look up at Miroku. He nodded his agreement. "We met at a charity function. Our families were introduced to each other and that's how we met."

"That's when I met Sango for the first time… and fell head over heels," Miroku said, kissing her forehead. She smiled up at him and rubbed her cheek on his chest, gazing at Kagome.

"Inuyasha's parents are wealthy and it was one of their charity events for hanyous. Our parents along with Kikyo's are… comfortable in life," she said with a smile. "We all met each other there for the first time, hit it off, and we became good friends since then."

"A year later, we helped Kikyo kick off her desire to be a singer," Miroku explained. "While we got to know each, we realized that Kikyo loved to sing and it was her dream to perform for people and be an entertainer. Coincidentally, myself, Sango and Inuyasha had a love for dancing and we just naturally fell into the part of being her dancers. So then because we all had the money to help her start this new career path, we all pitched in and… well, here we are."

Kagome shook her head in wonder, placing her elbow on the table to cup her head in her palm. "Wow. That's amazing. So you guys are rich too?"

Sango snickered. "I wouldn't say rich. But we live comfortably."

"More comfortably than most people," Miroku added. "Our families are pretty well-known in Japan, but we aren't as rich as most families are. Like Inuyasha's."

"That's because he comes from a youkai family," Kagome said, knowing what he meant. "And I'm sure when you live as long as youkai do, you tend to collect more money than you know what to do with."

Miroku nodded with a smile. "Exactly. But Inuyasha's family has always been one to give back. Whether it was to charity or to investments, they always gave what they had or invested in something new just to see what this new generation can do with it."

Kanna showed up at their table, stalling their conversation. She was a young woman with short brown hair that went to her shoulders and she always loved to wear a teal butterfly hair-comb in her hair. She wore her light blue apron and a white knee-length skirt with a white short-sleeve shirt underneath. The three of them ordered and then Miroku ordered for Inuyasha.

"What about Kikyo?" Sango asked him. Miroku just shrugged.

"Who knows if she'll come. You know her. Inuyasha said he would meet us here, so I better get his ramen before he blows a fuse."

Kanna smiled with understanding and bowed as she disappeared from them. Kagome looked around at the business of the place, really liking the air and vibe of this restaurant. Just then, Inuyasha popped into her view and she gasped, pulling back to look up at him.

"Inuyasha."

He smirked down at her. "Move over." She glared at him and just moved over with a grunt.

"You need to work on your manners."

Miroku and Sango burst out laughing, gazing at Inuyasha as he sat down with a smile, knowing the same thing they did.

"Inuyasha… manners?" Sango said.

"Never gonna happen, Kagome," Miroku said.

"Hey! I do have manners!" Inuyasha defended, glaring at the two. Kagome rolled her eyes and laughed.

"Yeah right. To the birds."

The couple simply laughed even harder and Inuyasha turned his head to glare at her. She turned to look at him and smiled innocently, but then bursting out into laughter along with Sango and Miroku. The look on Inuyasha's face just made her forget about her anger at his rudeness and think of how cute he looked with his fake menacing glare. He growled, making her laugh even harder, and she slapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry… it's just…" she said between laughing, "the look you have… priceless!"

Inuyasha growled and shrugged off her hand. Even though the three of them were laughing at him, he enjoyed their teasing. He also enjoyed Kagome's laughter. He found that he was enjoying his time with her. He could see that Kagome was getting comfortable with the gang and that she was making friends with everyone. Everyone accepted her and she began to open up more. He also noticed that she was much better at allowing people to touch her, which he had noticed ever since that first instance with Miroku when he had introduced Kagome to the gang. She had tried to play it off smoothly, probably to not hurt Miroku's feelings, but he noticed. And while he practiced with her, he also noticed how she would usually take a step back from him when he got too close. It was those subtle movements that he picked up on and knew that she had boundaries, placed there for a reason, and while he would respect them, he also wanted to know why they were there. _'Why should I even care?'_ But as he asked himself this, he also knew the answer to his own question.

"Inuyasha…" Miroku said, calling the hanyou's attention, as he wiped the tears from his eyes after that laughing fit. "I ordered you ramen."

Inuyasha nodded. "How much?"

"Just three. I figure you can do with only three today."

Inuyasha made a face, sort of in agreement with him, and shrugged. "Should be good enough."

Just then, Kikyo popped up beside their booth and smiled at everyone. "Good job, you guys. I'm happy with the way things are going today."

"Yeah. You're doing well too, Kikyo," Sango said, looking up at her. "You're catching on to the routine."

She nodded in agreement. "Even though Inuyasha tried not to make it too hard," she said, looking at him with thanks, "I think they're easy and fun enough to not bore the audience. But I'm sure I'll be in for a treat as the routines get harder."

Inuyasha nodded. "They do a little bit. So don't get too comfortable."

"I'm never too comfortable with you," Kikyo said with a smile, brushing her hand towards him. "Move over." She moved to sit so Inuyasha was forced to inch his way closer to Kagome.

Kagome moved over as much as she could but the booth wasn't that big to fit three people. So now, it was Inuyasha's shoulder against hers and Kikyo's shoulder on his other side. The three of them were scrunched together with Inuyasha in the middle. For some reason, she was fine with him sitting so close to her like this. Kanna came back to bring waters to their table and said her hellos to Kikyo. She was happy for the welcomed distraction so that she could have a minute to center her thoughts. She reached out for her water and drank, the movement making her rub against his arm the entire time since she sat on his left and she was right-handed. _'Eating is going to be a challenge.'_

"You okay, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked quietly, not wanting everyone to hear him.

Kagome turned to look at him, noticing how close he was to her and oddly enough, feeling familiar with him. She didn't get the feeling that she got at Midnite when the men would touch her and she would flinch immediately. But she also knew why. He wasn't actually touching her. His shoulder was against her, that was totally different from him reaching out to grab her. And for one reason or another, she didn't mind him being that close. Although it was a bit uncomfortable because he was handsome and he was sitting so close to her.

"Yeah. I'm fine," she lied.

"You're lying." Inuyasha gazed at her, making her feel uncomfortable now. _'What is he trying to get at?'_ He obviously could sense her emotions since he was a hanyou. But he couldn't read her mind. Could he? No. He was just trying to pry and she wasn't ready to talk about. Especially not here. She was stuck between a wall and him.

Kagome smiled at him, hoping he would drop the subject. "I'm okay. Really." He was about to say something when Kikyo grabbed his attention.

"Hey! Are we still going to go over the venue?" she asked, turning to Inuyasha as Kanna left the table.

"I thought that was the plan," Miroku said, noticing that Inuyasha and Kagome were having some sort of private conversation. "Sango and I brought extra clothes because we thought that's what you wanted to do."

Sango nodded as she looked over at Kagome. "Kagome brought extra clothes too." At the sound of her name, she tore her gaze from Inuyasha and looked to Sango, trying to remember what they were talking about.

"Yes. Sango told me to bring clothes since it was going to be a long day."

Kikyo nodded, leaning forward on the table. "Okay. Well, if you guys are prepared then let's do it. We have two months left and I want to start working through things before we lose time." She looked to Inuyasha and noticed that he wasn't paying any attention at her, only looking at Kagome. "Inuyasha? What do you think?"

Inuyasha blinked and turned to the woman sitting on his right. He was in the middle of two women, which he had no problem with. It was just the situation and the things that he knew about both of them that made it a little awkward. He shrugged at her but nodded. "It's fine with me. We talked about this a couple days ago and we've always done it this way, so why change it now."

Kikyo frowned and looked to her glass of water. "Well… I just want things to go smoothly. And you know how I get when we can't really see the place until a couple weeks beforehand. I freak out and just… everything has to be perfect."

Inuyasha groaned. "I know, I know, Kikyo. We've been together for four years. I know how you like things."

Kagome looked at him, shocked, but quickly looked away, reaching out to take a sip of her water. She let the two of them continue their conversation about the meeting today, going over photos of the venue and making sure the lineup was correct. _'Why am I so bothered by this?'_ She immediately felt bothered when he made that statement. _'Are they together? Is Inuyasha dating Kikyo?'_ Miroku and Sango had explained how they all knew each other for four years and how they became good friends, now business partners in Kikyo's career. Miroku and Sango were together ever since they met. Did that mean that Inuyasha and Kikyo were together? _'Why do I even care?!'_ she wondered. As much as she wanted to convince herself she wasn't bothered by it, as she sat there in her thoughts, thinking about all the reasons why she wasn't bothered by it at all, Kagome still felt like a small part of her was bothered when Inuyasha said that he and Kikyo have been together for four years. _'It's not like I should care who he's with. And they've been friends for years. I barely even know him'_ Oh, but who was she fooling? She was drawn to Inuyasha on a deeper level and that female part of her, the one that craved to be wanted by a man, immediately began to put up a wall once she heard Inuyasha say those words.

"I think we just need to look at the pictures first before we start growing grey hairs at the thought of it," Miroku said, moving and allowing Sango to sit up now that Kanna came back with their food. Kikyo's food was still missing because she had just ordered a few minutes ago, but Kanna had assured her that her food was on the way. Kanna dropped off the plates and bowed as she left.

Just as they were about to dig in, a couple of young girls came to their table and asked Kikyo for her autograph. By then, Kagome was in her own world, wondering why she cared so much about Inuyasha's love life with Kikyo. She fought with herself the whole time she ate, wondering why she even cared. It bothered her so much that when everyone started talking again, she didn't join in on the conversation but just kept to herself, smiling when she needed to and nodding when they expected a reply from her. She knew what she was doing. She was putting up her wall. She loved doing that when she felt like things were getting out of control around her. She would draw inward and forget about things around her and just focus on herself and protecting herself from anything and anyone. She had learned this at a young age and was comfortable with it. It was her go-to. And right now, she needed it.

But of course, Inuyasha noticed.

"Kagome… is everything okay?"

Kagome sighed, snapping out of her thoughts as she turned to him and smiled, putting on her mask that she knew how to do every day. "Yeah. This yakitori is good. I see why Miroku likes it."

He didn't say anything but just watched her. Kagome went back to eating, hoping that he would drop the subject, which he did. But ever since then, she felt this odd detachment from him, and she knew that it was because now she realized how much of an outsider she was and how little she knew of Inuyasha… _'And what, Kagome? There's no chance for you now?'_ Where did that come from? Since when did she ever think of having a chance with any man? She was losing her mind. This was one of the reasons why she didn't want to have friends. Attachments. Emotions. Clouded judgment.

When they all finished their lunch, Miroku got the check this time and everyone stood to leave. Since Inuyasha and Kikyo were heading back, it meant time for work again, so everyone who came to the restaurant all got up from their tables and followed them out.

All in all, they did three songs for the day. Kikyo had learned her parts and she told Inuyasha that three was enough for today. She was tired and she wanted to look over the venue before she got too tired. Inuyasha called it a wrap and everyone began to head to their belongings and filed out the door.

"Come. Let's go shower," Sango said. She led the way to the women's locker room.

It was at the end of the hall, and Kagome followed Sango and the others until she led them into the locker room. With a swipe of her key, they were let in and the sound of chatter from the women filled the room.

"You can use this room anytime. This is part of our access into the entire building," Sango explained as they went towards the showers.

Each stall had a shower curtain that gave them privacy but one that you could see the feet of the women inside. And in the center, between either side of the shower stalls, was a line of benches where they would setup their belongings or changing clothes. Kagome noticed that some of the women left their shoes and belongings on this bench instead of using the lockers that they had passed by.

"You can either bring your own lock and use a locker," Sango explained. "Or you can just leave your things here and grab them as you finish taking a shower." Kagome nodded her understanding.

"If you don't want to expose yourself out here, you can always go in the shower stall and close the curtain to change," Sango said, pointing to a pulled back shower stall where they could see inside. "You can change in there and just drape your clothes over the curtain rod or just strip out here," she said with a shrug. "It really is up to you. Most of the women prefer to go inside the stalls. But there are some other academy members that just walk around butt naked. So just a warning if you're uncomfortable seeing that sort of thing."

Kagome smiled with a shake of her head, thinking of her job. "It's fine." Sango nodded and dropped her bag on the bench in front of an open stall. The two of them began to grab their toiletries and their towels and made their way into their own showers. Once they were finished taking a shower, they came out, grabbed their clean clothes, and went back into the stall to change. Kagome just took her underwear and put them on in the stall. She came back out with her hair wrapped in her towel and wearing only her underwear. Sango came out fully dressed and her eyes widened as she looked at Kagome, surprised.

"What?" she asked.

Sango just smiled and shook her head. "It's good to see you're not uncomfortable in your underwear. I kinda still am but when I'm backstage at a concert, I have no problem running around in my underwear since I really have no choice sometimes," she said with a giggle.

Kagome waved her off as she went to her things and grabbed out her clothes, changing out there in the open. "I have no problem with my underwear. It's butt naked that I have a problem with," she said with a laugh.

The sounds of the women around them filled the locker room. Sango smiled and laughed with Kagome.

"I get it. Me too." She waited as Kagome got ready, putting on a jeans shorts with a black t-shirt. She looked comfortable and very laid-back, which Sango appreciated. She liked the fact that Kagome wasn't one who was into over-the-top things, or trying to out-do others in her style of fashion or even her dance style. She noticed from the first time she met Kagome that she was a laid-back and fun person and that's why she had latched on to Kagome so strongly. She knew that she and Kagome would be good friends.

"You have a beautiful body, Kagome."

Kagome laughed nervously and blushed. "Thanks, Sango."

"I'm not kidding," Sango said, zipping up her bag and sitting back down, turning so she could look at Kagome next to her. "You have a beautiful body. Your body is not the 'norm'. You're not skinny like us, or at least most Japanese women. You have curves but it's muscle. And you're in shape. And…"

"Okay, okay, Sango. I get it."

Sango smiled apologetically. "Sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I just meant to say that you have a beautiful body. That's it."

Kagome giggled, taking her hair out of the towel and grabbing her leave-in conditioner and comb. "Thanks, Sango." With that, she finished getting ready and so did Sango. The two of them left the locker room and headed back to the studio.

When the two got back, they noticed that Inuyasha, Miroku and Shippo were talking together with Naraku and a whole bunch of pictures were splayed out on the floor in front of them. They sat on the ground around the photos with a couple of the other dancers forming a circle around the pictures. Sango dropped her things off to the side, Kagome following suit, and the two of them headed over to the men.

"You haven't showered yet," Sango said, moving to sit next to Miroku as he looked up at her. She patted the floor next to her and Kagome sat down.

Miroku shook his head. "No. We were talking too much. I think I'll go now since almost everyone isn't back yet."

"I'll go with you," Inuyasha said, standing up with Miroku as they left the group. Shippo stood up a couple seconds later to join them and the three of them headed out of the studio.

Kagome focused her attention back to the photos that lay scattered on the ground. Their circle wasn't complete as most of the dancers were still in the locker rooms, so she leaned forward to get a better look at the pictures. Most of the pictures were of the venue. From what Kagome could tell, it was a huge auditorium, more like a stadium, with rows of chairs around the circular stage in the center. And there were the upper level seats that went up into many rows that she couldn't count. It was much like a stadium style concert.

"Cool, huh?" Sango asked her, leaning forward to look at the pictures herself.

Kagome nodded her agreement. "I've never been to a concert before. But I've seen some on television."

Sango turned to look at her with shock, but decided not to say anything when Kagome didn't look back at her. "Wow…" she said softly. She shook her head, wondering how this woman who was such a good dancer and who aspired to be in a dance group had never been to a concert before. She turned as she heard the door open and Kikyo along with four other women walked in, fresh from a shower. They were laughing and smiling at each other, dropping their things off away from the circle and making their way towards them.

"Did we miss anything?" Kokoro asked, her hair wet and limp as she sat next to Kagome.

Kagome shook her head, turning to welcome her. "No. Some of the boys just left to take a shower."

She waved her hand in the air. "They're faster than us doing that anyways." Kagome giggled with a nod and they all began to chit chat until all the gang returned and they could finally talk business.

"So as you know," Naraku began, calling their attention as he looked at all twelve of the dancers and Kikyo sitting around in a circle, "The concert in O'ahu is in two months. Since it's Kagome's first time, I'm going to go over every little detail so that she understands and is comfortable with the process. Maybe… she might be staying longer after this concert," he said, his eyes falling to her as he caught her gaze. Kagome simply smiled back with a nod, waiting for him to continue.

"Usually two months before the show, I like to go over how we want things setup, especially when it comes to the stage so the crew can get that done. In venues that are far from home, all we have to work with are pictures."

Kikyo nodded, her eyes falling on Kagome. "It gets a little frustrating using photos because you can't tell the scale of the stage but only get to imagine how big the stage is and what we have to work with." Kagome nodded her understanding. "The photos don't do justice… but it's all we have for now."

"It helps," Inuyasha said sternly. "Kikyo doesn't think so, but it's better than nothing. It's best not to fret over things we can't control," he said, crossing his arms, his eyes hard on Kikyo as she turned to glare at him. He didn't want Kikyo to put any wrong ideas in Kagome's mind since she was new. She needed to learn for herself, to see what worked for her and how she could work with what she was given.

"Whatever the case," Naraku said, calling everyone's attention back to him. He glanced down at the photos, his eyes scanning over all of them laid out in a mess. "How do we start this?"

"First…" Inuyasha said, his eyes still on Kikyo. "What songs do you want to do for O'ahu?"

Kikyo needed to pick out which songs she was going to do at each venue. It was unlikely for her to do the same numbers at back-to-back venues. Especially at two locations in the same state. She had to keep her fans interested and possibly if those who flew in to the state were going to follow her from one island to the next, that was even more motivation to not do the same songs so that her fans wouldn't get bored and would still want to buy tickets. If Kikyo did that, then she would lose fans and people might think she didn't have any talent or wasn't a good performer.

Kikyo reached for the tan accordion binder that sat in front of Naraku and pulled out a piece of paper. She placed it on the ground in front of her and pressed a finger to her lips, her eyes deep in thought as she stared down at it.

"I know I want to do ' _Who's Got You?'_ and ' _Let's Make Time For You and I'_. Those are fan favorites." She glanced up to see Inuyasha nod his agreement and she smiled. She looked back down and began writing the songs she wanted to perform in one column that was for O'ahu and another column that was for Maui. Kagome liked how Kikyo included everyone in her thought process. Before she wrote a song down, she would tell them her idea of what to do next and the others would consent or voice their opinion on why they thought it was a bad idea. Kagome liked how they all trusted each other and helped Kikyo to do and be her best.

"Fine," Naraku said. "That leaves eleven songs per venue with three songs being switched up. Plus we'll keep the crowd guessing by switching the song list around when we switch islands." Kikyo nodded her agreement and he looked up at Inuyasha. "That's what… about four, five minutes per song? So about fifty-five minutes for the concert at the very least?"

Inuyasha tilted his head side to side, weighing Naraku's calculations. "Give or take transitions, fillers while she's changing backstage, and our wardrobe changes too. I'd say the concert would be about an hour and a half or so. We need to figure out if we need transition songs while she's changing backstage so that I can put a number together to cover her."

Kikyo nodded with a smile. "We'll figure that out next month when we practice in the warehouse. But for now, this is good. We got the place paid for two hours. It's just me with no opening artist so that's a good timeframe. I like it." Naraku shrugged, going along with what she wanted.

Sango turned to look at Kagome and spoke. "We still need to get Kagome's measurements," she pointed out.

"Oh yeah…" Kagome said, studying Sango. Miroku nodded his agreement and closed his eyes.

"It's also best that we all be remeasured just to be sure. If we need to have alterations… now is the time since we're ordering new ones for Kagome," he said.

Inuyasha nodded his agreement, uncrossing his arms as he reached for his phone in his pocket. "I'll text the costume designer to come in tomorrow to do our measurements." He set to his task as everyone got back to the discussion.

"So the venue is The Neal Blaisdell Center Arena," Naraku said continuing on. "It's located in downtown Honolulu, pretty much near Waikīkī, which is where we'll be staying."

"Oooooo" Sango said, squirming around happily. Miroku chuckled, placing a hand on her thigh to calm her down. Her excitement at going to the Hawaiian Islands is exactly what everyone else was feeling.

"Is this your first time performing there?" Kagome had to ask, sensing that everyone was growing in excitement.

Kikyo's smile was infectious. "Yes. I've never been to Hawai'i before. This time, I'll be visiting for my first time and performing there for my first time. That's why I'm doing so much press conferences and television interviews to promote my first concert in the state." Kagome nodded, feeling the energy in everyone and getting excited to go back herself.

"You've been there before, right, Kagome?" Miroku asked.

Kagome nodded. "Only once. I've been to Maui, though. I only had a short layover in O'ahu so I wasn't able to walk around and take in the sights. But I'm excited to go back to Maui and see how things have changed."

"We're there for work," Inuyasha said, placing his phone back in his pocket. His eyes sought Kagome's and she could see the discipline in his eyes, but she heard his teasing note. "It's not a vacation."

"Oh whatever, Inuyasha," Shippo said with a roll of his eyes. He leaned back on his palms, studying him. "Like you don't want to see the islands and jump in the ocean."

Kagome glanced at Inuyasha and saw him close his eyes, raising a shoulder. She smiled, shaking her head. He had to try and be the reasonable boss.

"I want you guys to have some R&R," Kikyo said with a smile, looking over at everyone. "You guys deserve it. And I trust you guys by now to know that when it comes to it, business is business and when you need to get your butt in gear, you'll do it." Everyone nodded their agreements. She trusted her crew and knew that they knew their obligations and their limits.

"How many concerts have you all done?" Kagome asked, wondering how well they knew each other when they were out on the road doing shows. They all seemed to have a mutual trust in one another, maybe it was the contracts that they signed or their commitment to their job and each other, but she could tell that they knew what to expect from one another when traveling together.

Sango turned to look at Miroku in silent confirmation. "I think this is our fifth concert," she said with Miroku nodding his agreement.

"Kikyo's first two years were spent building up her fan base and making a name for herself," Naraku said. "We also spent that time making music videos and even performed at some small, local shows in city squares and what-nots. But the big-time arenas and theaters came later once her fame soared and her songs went on to the Top 10 list."

Kagome nodded her understanding, glancing at Kikyo in awe and wonder. To have waited that long for this moment. She was still growing as an artist now more than ever if this was her fifth concert. And Kagome felt honored to be included in this ladder that Kikyo was climbing. She would be climbing it with her, gaining in her fame along with Kikyo and the others. They would all be gaining fame and stardom, which Kagome didn't want to think about right now because she was a on a high that she didn't want to come down from. But she was so glad that she was able to be a part of this group, to go to different areas of the world and perform with a rising star. Who knew what the future held for her?

"Let's get back to the venue," Naraku said, doing the manager thing and steering them back to business. "The Neal Blaisdell Center Arena is indoors. The first floor has portable, padded chairs that they can arrange to our liking. The upper levels are theater style upholstered seats." Naraku rummaged through some of the photos and then picked out a few that showed the entire indoor arena and the seats. "The manager there told me we have freedom to setup the place however we wish. But we need to tell them at least four weeks ahead of the concert so that their crew can move the padded chairs around to accommodate our needs."

Kagome looked over at the pictures in Sango's hands as they all tried to share the pictures with one another. She noticed that there were three different layouts in the arena. One layout was made for a basketball game, with the basketball floor in the center and the chairs setup around the floor with what could be the VIP sections upfront near the court, and the above areas were where the fans were seated . The second layout was of a theater stage setup with two stages. A huge curtain draped over the top and bottom section of the theater style seating area in the arena to allocate the entire area as the 'backstage'. The main stage in front of the curtains connected out on a small, short runway into another smaller stage that had a couple blocks of portable chairs setup, which she assumed was the VIP sections. There were more portable chairs setup in front of the two stages on the first floor behind the VIP sections, and then came a short wall with the first level of theater style seats that continued up. The third layout was one of a circular stage in the center of the first floor, which reminded Kagome of a boxing match. The portable chairs were setup all around the center stage and then up to the theater style seats on the floors above.

"I like how versatile they are," Miroku noted, looking over to Inuyasha who agreed and nodded his head, his eyes examining the pictures in front of him. He kept three photos for himself as he studied them, his face in deep thought.

"I like the layout with the two stages," Inuyasha said, dropping the other two polaroids down in front of him and keeping his favorite in his hand. "It gives us room to move around and for Kikyo to have more freedom to be independent and to address her fans out on the smaller stage. The cameras can move in on her at all angles as she walks back and forth between the two stages while giving us space and freedom to dance."

Miroku nodded his agreement. "I agree. Although, it would leave us more work to figure out how much movement we have to compensate now that we have all that space, but it's the best idea for Kikyo. I like the blackout curtains too. It's much more convenient for us to run backstage that way than having a stage in the middle of the room and us have to run through the mass crowd of fans just to change and try to make our way back without being hounded on."

Sango nodded, along with the rest of the gang now that they heard explanations. Kikyo nodded her agreement as well. "I agree. It's more rational to do the layout with the curtain so that we can change outfits. But I also like Inuyasha's idea of me having more freedom to move around than having one small circle stage with all thirteen of us having to share it. I would feel… claustrophobic."

They all agreed.

Naraku sighed, shaking his head. "Section 13 through 21 would be cut off," he said, finding the blueprint of the layout that they decided on and showing it to everyone. He pointed to the areas where the curtains would block off the seats. "That means that we lose about a fourth of our potential ticket sales. So maybe we'll be able to sell out 7,500 tickets, give or take."

Inuyasha growled. "Doesn't matter." He knew that it was Naraku's job to think about these sort of things, numbers and logistic bullshit, but he only cared about what was rational and what made sense for the group. "I don't care about the sales. That's why we added a second day on both islands since we'll probably sell out."

Naraku glared at him. "You might not care, but I do. And don't be so sure about yourself, Inuyasha. You haven't seen our sales in the USA yet."

Inuyasha shrugged. He didn't need to be told about Kikyo's sales in the USA. In Japan, she was at the top of her game. Of course, in a different country she would be seeing less of a quick rise to the top when she wasn't living in the country or relatable in culture. "Kikyo is doing great as it is and she's still climbing. She'll sell out. It's her first concert there and I'm sure she'll have fans flying in. My concern isn't the ticket sales…"

"No, it's mine," Naraku interrupted and reminded him.

"But whether or not we have what we need and that everything makes sense," Inuyasha continued, unfazed by Naraku's interruption. Kagome looked between the two and could tell that the both of them fought with each other constantly as it was obvious that there was tension. But she could also tell that it was 'business-as-usual' for them and even though they spoke to each other heatedly, they were unfazed by each other. It was just the two of them trying to get their point across. Maybe an alpha-dominance kind of thing too.

"It makes sense to have the two stages with the curtains. Since we have costume changes, it makes sense to have the curtain for a backstage area," Inuyasha finished, his gaze on Naraku even though Naraku had his eyes closed. He knew the logic that Inuyasha said was rational and true. But Naraku still had his job to keep in mind, his job to keep money flowing for them.

Kikyo smiled with a nod, diffusing the tension between the two men. "I like it. It does make sense. I get the ticket sales, Naraku, I do. But I think it helps that we're doing both cities for two nights each, so hopefully if we sell out one night, the rest can go to the second night. Or they can try and make it to one of the two nights at the second location," she said with a shrug. "Whatever the case, for this venue, it makes sense to go with the curtain even if it cuts the amount of seats we have available."

Naraku nodded his understanding and looked around for the polaroids for the next venue, moving on. They were all written on in the white areas of the polaroids so they knew what they were looking at and for what location. He kept the photo with ' _Neal Blaisdell- #2_ ' in front of his crossed legs and searched for the next venue.

"Now… the Maui Arts and Cultural Center is going to be a bit harder to work with." Naraku found the photos labeled 'MACC' and picked out the three that he was looking for. "This gets a little tricky and complicated so we have to choose our demons." He found the picture labeled _'#1'_ and looked at the grassy lawn. "The first layout we have is called the Community Lawn. It can hold up to 4,000 people, but that's with the guests bringing their own chairs. Keep in mind it's a flat lawn in the open elements and our stage would be a white pop-up tent." Kikyo frowned as she looked at the polaroid that showed the wide expanse of the green grass with a lonely white tent draped with curtains on the legs to try and give it an elegant allure. "The second layout is called the A&B Amphitheater. It can hold about 5,000 people with portable chairs and bleachers in the back that would be an extra cost. At least this one has a pavilion for us and our equipment, but still open to the elements." Everyone looked over at the copies that they held in groups since there were only a few copies of each individual photo for everyone to share. This one had the pavilion at the bottom of a sloped hill where the portable chairs were lined up in long rows cut by walking aisles and the bleachers were at the top, in the back. "The third layout is called the Castle Theater and that is the smallest of the three. It holds up to 1,200 people with a theater style seating like the mezzanine, balcony and what-nots," he finished.

Kikyo frowned as she went back and forth between the three photos. "Hmmm… not much options to play with."

Inuyasha shook his head. "Two of the three are open to rain, wind and who knows."

"My least favorite is the Community Lawn," Sango said with disapproval. "We can't do anything with this," she said, waving the picture in between her two fingers and then flicking the photo back down onto the pile. "There is no where for us to run off stage to change and have some sort of privacy."

"It might be cold," Kagome said softly, not wanting to get in the way of their brainstorming but just thinking out loud.

Inuyasha looked over at her, a small smile forming as they locked eyes. He was thankful that she spoke up, appreciating her input. "True. It might be windy or raining. But if it came down to it and we had to choose this layout, we would just rent a couple trailers and those would be our dressing rooms," he said with a shrug.

"But," Shippo said, leaning his elbows on his knees. "We don't want to do the theater because that's only twelve hundred people. That's not even worth us flying to Maui."

The others nodded their agreement. If they were going to fly across the Pacific Ocean to perform, at least they could do it for a crowd that was big enough to make it worth their time performing. Inuyasha had to agree with Shippo and the others. So that only left one option.

"So I guess we're going with the Amphitheater then." He still didn't like it. It was still open to the elements. But the only good thing was that they had a pavilion, meaning a solid structure that wouldn't blow over. The pavilion looked big enough that they would have enough room to move around in while also being able to move offstage to change. They would have to improvise with what the venue had available to them. He could see the main building of the MACC behind the pavilion and he thought about having Naraku call to see if those could be their dressing rooms or if they would need to rent trailers.

Naraku sighed. "I know we can't do much with this," he said, grabbing the photo everyone agreed on while tossing the other two back into the pile. "But we'll have to make it work. I can ask them if they could setup some curtains behind the pavilion area to make that our backstage so we don't have to run to changing rooms. I still need to contact them and ask if there are changing rooms, what rooms we can use, and just figure out the logistics of you guys running back and forth. I have the blueprints, but I wasn't given any approval of what rooms we were free to use."

Kikyo sighed, not liking the idea, but having to go with it. "Try, Naraku. Ask them about the curtain. If we have to pay for it… make it work. Or if they have rooms available nearby already that we could use, that would be great too. If not, we can still rent trailers, like Inuyasha said." Naraku nodded his agreement. They had the money and they needed a backstage.

"Alright, so that's settled," Inuyasha said, placing the photos down in front of him, satisfied that they had caught on to his concerns about the dressing rooms. "What's next?"

Naraku placed the chosen layout for Maui down on top of the first choice for O'ahu and looked out at the rest of the photos. "Now… we brainstorm based on our layout decisions… how we want to setup the dance crew around Kikyo. That way, next month we can practice in the warehouse with the measurements and the brainstorm ideas."

Inuyasha nodded, checking his time. "Okay. Does anyone need to leave?" he asked, looking around, trying to be considerate of people's time. "We only need to brainstorm where we feel dancers should stand based on the layouts we decided on," Inuyasha explained, looking at Kagome since she was new. She looked up at him and nodded her understanding. "Next month, we'll go into the warehouse where we'll setup the measurements of both venue's stages and actually practice our routines to see if what we brainstormed actually works."

"We do it this way when we have venues that are inaccessible months before the concert," Miroku said, trying to explain everything so that Kagome could understand their process. "Otherwise, we would just drive to the venue and practice on the actually stage, so we would bypass all this brainstorming and picture-taking."

"This month…" Naraku said, trying to finish what everyone was explaining, "is all about having Kikyo with the group to learn her part, and for everyone to dance with her so you guys are cohesive. Also, I will be giving out your itineraries for the trip. Basically, it's a packet of the hotels we're staying in, our day-to-day schedule, bus pickups and drop offs, contact informations, mealtimes and dietary preferences, etc. The itineraries are what we live and breathe by when we go on tour. And in this case, since we'll be there for about a week and a half, I want everyone to understand what we're doing each day so you can plan your free time around work time."

"Yes, Dad," Sango said, knowing the routine and giving him a hard time.

Naraku glared at her and she giggled, waving him off. "Not funny."

Kikyo shook her head with a smile. "This month, we'll also go over videos of our past performances to see what we did wrong, what we did well and what we can do better."

"It's always good to evaluate ourselves because there's always room for improvement," Miroku said, looking around at everyone and landing on Kagome. "This month is more learning and logistics."

"You guys ready to brainstorm?" Naraku asked, looking at Inuyasha to see him shrug his shoulders. He looked out at the group, seeing them all nodding their heads, and then he looked back at Naraku to nod his head. It was now four in the afternoon and they had about two, maybe three more hours to brainstorm and make any changes or choose another layout altogether. They needed to choose the layout as soon as possible so that the venue could move things around for them. _'It's going to be a long night…'_ Inuyasha thought, listening as Naraku began to speak.


	6. C6- A Wrong Night

**Author's Note:** I'm back! Sorry it took me so long. Just to let you know, the gang will be heading off to Hawai'i soon AND this chapter has a small teaser into Kag's history. So I'm sure most of you will enjoy and appreciate this one. Another thing to note, a gift for you, I will be updating with two chapters next time: both of them are the about the Hawai'i concert. I wanted to get it all out to you in one go because it's getting soooo good between Inu/Kag when they're in Hawai'i, even now as I'm writing the next two chapters. I just can't! :) Hope you enjoy this one!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha

* * *

"It's one month away…" Kagome whispered, looking out at the couple sitting under a Sakura tree, laughing about something that was said. The way the two sat together, so close with a few casual touches, showed how much they loved each other. Kagome stared at them, her thoughts wandering back to the concert coming up in Hawai'i.

Things were going along smoothly. And quickly. She never realized how fast time flew by until they were already two and a half weeks away from flying out to another country and four weeks away from her first real-life concert that she would be a part of her. Part of her was thrilled, excited, over the moon. Another part of her was terrified. She was nervous about going in front of so many people, although she took comfort in knowing that the audience's faces would be small or in the dark so she wouldn't feel stage fright that she was already feeling. She was also nervous about the spotlight she would be put in. Her fear of being found, her deep need for privacy, would be tested now. It was either she did this, she took her dream and made something of herself, or she would always live in fear and wondering what would've happened if she had done it.

"Hey."

Kagome turned at the sound of Midoriko's voice. She looked up and smiled at her two friends, Midoriko and Ayumi, both smiling down at her. They were both gorgeous, dressed in casual dresses that matched their eyes, fitting for the summer weather.

"Hey you two."

Ayumi went to sit next to Kagome's right and Midoriko on the opposite side. The three women sat together under a low branching tree whose branches crept out at a far distance, beautiful and captivating. They all wore summer dresses, Kagome with her blue, Midoriko with her green and Ayumi with her white. "So… are you excited?" Ayumi asked.

"I'm so excited for you," Midoriko said, placing her purse down behind her as she got comfortable.

Kagome nodded. "I am. I really am. And time just flew by so I haven't really been able to take it all in and just enjoy it, you know?"

Ayumi nodded. "I know the feeling." She smiled at Kagome. "Tell us about everything. We don't hear enough at work." Midoriko nodded her agreement.

"Well… I guess, things are going good. We've been having a lot of practices with our transitions and placements recently. It's more complicated when you're working with a big group compared to just doing our solos or with a small group of us girls." The two women nodded their understanding. "We've been practicing every single number multiple times a day just to get our placements right or our transitions right. It helps though, with ingraining the steps into my brain and body. It does get a bit tedious, but we all need it just to make sure it's in our blood."

"Still, why do you have to do it so many times?" Midoriko wondered.

Kagome shrugged. "Sango said it's for Inuyasha and Kikyo to finalize where everyone fits. Especially me." She remembered the conversation she had with Inuyasha. He had told her that she was a good dancer, a great dancer, and he didn't like her being in the back. So he had brought her to the front, in line with the 'leaders' of Kikyo's group, which was a huge shock for her and it made her nervous being up there. But Inuyasha had reassured her that she should be proud. She was a great dancer and everyone needed to see it. Kikyo did. The gang did. And he wanted her up next to Miroku, Sango and himself so that others could see her talent. "They put me in the front row with Inuyasha, Miroku and Sango."

"What?!" Ayumi exclaimed, now looking at her with interest and shock. "Aren't they like big time dancers? And Kikyo's choreographers?"

Kagome nodded with an arch of her eyebrow. "Yeah, they are. And Inuyasha wants me up front with them."

Midoriko whistled. "Damn, girl. We knew that you were always good… but now it's good for you to see that someone with talent notices." Kagome shrugged, understanding what Midoriko was saying. They had always told her that she didn't belong at Midnite, that she could do much greater things if she just tried. But Kagome never did, and her friends never faulted her for not wanting to branch out of Midnite and try to work somewhere new. It was her comfort zone. It was many of the women's comfort zones.

"You'll be fine, Kagome," Ayumi said softly, shaking her out of her thoughts. Ayumi could tell that Kagome was getting too into her head. "You've been at Midnite for nine years. We know your passion for dancing, our clients see it too, and now a prominent figure sees it and they're making use of you. This is good for you. It's what you've always wanted, right?" she led on.

Kagome nodded with a frown, turning to look back out at the couple that she had been watching earlier. The two of them sat with their backs against the Sakura tree, the man's arm over the woman's shoulders, both lost in the world that they created for themselves. They were laughing when Kagome took a breath. "I've always wanted to dance professionally, ever since I was young. I've been able to do it for nine years now, thanks to Onigumo giving me the opportunity."

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

 _The ground was cold. Winter was fast approaching as fall came to an end. The city streets of Tokyo was in full bloom tonight as in any other night. People were roaming the streets, trying to get somewhere, while she was trying to get from somewhere to nowhere. The people around her seemed to pay no mind to her. So many people without a care in the world of who they walked past and in what condition they were in. 'The city is a cruel place' was her conclusion after a brutal week in Tokyo._

 _For a week, ever since she arrived in Tokyo, no one has been nice to her or offered her a job. She had little money. The money she had from the engagement ring that she had sold back in Matsuyama. That was all the money she had to her name, enough to bring her up here to Tokyo. But the funds were dwindling and she needed to find a job soon. She was smart enough to buy enough food to get her stomach to stop rumbling but never enough to make her full. But she hadn't bought any clothes or sleeping accommodations. She had found a side street that seemed quiet, or at least it had been the past week she's been sleeping there behind a garbage bin. No one bothered her but she always made sure not to fall deeply asleep so she slept upright or in an uncomfortable position so she could still wake up in case anyone bothered or harassed her._

 _Kagome sighed as the city lights were blinding and she was starting to feel tired. She had been roaming a new part of the city, trying to look for jobs in a new neighborhood. So many times people would either look at her and try to kindly tell her they didn't have any openings. Or they would have her sit and tell them about herself, which then would lead to a kind apology and her leaving without a job. The city was ruthless. The people tried to be kind but Kagome knew that they were judging her before she even showed them what she could do. And she needed a job. She couldn't live on the money from her engagement ring forever. Even though it was a pricey ring, the pawn shop only gave her what she figured out to be a week's worth of food while she was here in Tokyo. Rip off._

 _Her feet wandered down the streets, bypassing the passerby and not looking anyone in the eye. She didn't know anyone and no one knew her so she had no reason to catch anyone's attention. Without thinking, her feet knew where to go and she found herself in a familiar neighborhood. She was back 'home'. Kagome looked up at the tall buildings with shining lights, smiling at the objects._

 _How did she find herself back here again? First her childhood. Then her adulthood. She couldn't seem to catch a break. The gods seemed to have a good laugh with her life._

 _Kagome turned into the quiet side street and looked up, watching as someone walked towards her coming from the other end of the street. It was rare for people to use this side street, but occasionally she would have a couple people pass her by, especially in the early morning hours when the bars and clubs would close. But other than that, no one really bothered her, which she was grateful for._

 _The woman walked past her, keeping her head down, and Kagome made her way towards her 'home'. She came next to the garbage bin and sat down, propping her back against the building behind her. She sighed, looking ahead at some small graffiti written on the opposite building._

 _Nothing in her life ever went well. And the only people she had to blame were her parents. Her good-for-nothing parents. But they were still her parents. As much as she hated them for the way they treated her, the way her life turned out to be, they were still her parents. She had enough love for them to take care of them while they got high off their rocks and passed out in the streets. She would have to go out looking for her parents late in the night, remembering the many times she would find her mom and dad passed out in an alleyway or at a bus stop, high as a kite and passed out cold. So many nights where she had to drag them back home, even as a small child. And what was a small child to do? She couldn't drag two grown adults back home, wherever their home was for the week. So as a child, sometimes if she couldn't wake them up, all she could do was to sit next to them, watching over them until they woke up._

 _Kagome sighed, bringing her knees up to her chest as she hugged her legs, resting her chin on her knees. She heard footsteps again but the sound was drowned out as her thoughts went back to her parents._

 _The two figures in her life who were supposed to be her rock, her shelter, her mother and father who would teach her how to be a decent human being, who would show love to her as she was their only daughter. Probably not by choice. Only by a careless slip-up sex night, probably high on drugs too. Whatever the case, they brought her into this world using drugs and she kept herself alive. Sometimes, it would be days before she finally saw her parents again. She stayed in the motels and ryokans that her parents were able to afford at any given time until they returned for her. They always did. Somehow, their obligation to her was still in their minds. Just not as important as their obligation to getting high. That always came first. But they never forgot her. They always came back to make sure she was… what?… still alive? She must've been a burden they wanted to get rid of, that was why they came back. To see if this time, she had died. To see if this time, they could be free of her._

 _The sound of footsteps came closer until it snapped Kagome out of her thoughts, making her blink back her tears and look to her side. Someone's shoes came into view, making her look up as a man walked past her. All she noticed was his tailored dark suit and his face that turned to look at her. Their eyes met, blue to blue-green eyes. She blinked and looked down at the ground, watching as his shoes left her sight and she refused to look at his back to watch him walk away. They've done it all her life. This time, she had been the one to walk away. She had left her wretched life behind and was trying to make a new life, one that wasn't tainted by her past. She wasn't doing a very good job at it, she was right back where she grew up in. She just needed to find a job so that she could make a life for herself and maybe even leave the country for good. Leave her past behind her._

 _The sound of footsteps returned, making Kagome look up once again to see the man again. This time, she was able to see what he wore. He had a very fancy suit. In the barely lit side street, she could see that it was expensive. He had a dark blue tie on. But it was his eyes that she was mesmerized by. He had these unique blue-green eyes. Eyes that made his face seem soft. Not to mention he was a handsome man. He had short dark hair and he looked young, maybe in his early thirties._

" _My my…" he said, his deep voice resonating in her. Kagome felt her body become rigid as he crouched down in front of her, now getting down to her level like a parent discipling their child. "You have such beautiful eyes."_

 _Kagome blinked, her body and senses now becoming hyper aware. She was trained since she was young to spot out pedophiles or dangerous men who would try to take advantage on a poor, defenseless child out in the streets, looking for her parents in the middle of the night. She had to be able to read the signs and know how to get out of dangerous situations. Several times she had to do so and most of the times she got away without a scratch. It something that she had to learn if she wanted to live._

 _The man smiled, making Kagome frown as she brought her head up. She didn't get a bad vibe from him. He didn't seem dangerous at all. He was a business man, that she could tell, and there was a calm air around him. His eyes were what told her everything. When she looked into his eyes she could see the kindness there. It was his eyes that spoke volumes to her._

" _What's you name?" he asked, resting his elbows on his thighs, interlacing his fingers. He simply waited for her answer, never moving from his crouched position. He showed no sense of impatience or anger. He simply waited, curious as to who she was._

 _Kagome gulped, clearing her throat as she straightened, placing her upper back against the wall. "Kagome. Kagome Higurashi."_

 _He smiled with a nod, glad to be hearing her speak. "Kagome Higurashi. Why are you sitting here? You are too beautiful to be here."_

 _She smirked, closing her eyes. What were the chances that she would be here, next to a garbage bin, talking to a rich man who seemed interested in why she was here. Her whole life really was messed up._

" _I have nowhere to go."_

" _Where did you come from?"_

" _From somewhere."_

" _And you're going nowhere?" he said with a smile, arching his eyebrow. She looked at him with a nod as he gazed into her eyes, mesmerized by them. She couldn't tell what he was thinking, but it was a while before he finally spoke._

" _If you're going nowhere… how about you come somewhere with me?"_

 _Kagome blinked, releasing the tight hold she had on her legs to place her hands on top of her knees. She couldn't believe what this man was saying. Either, one, he wanted to rape her and take advantage of her like what has been happening to her all her life. Or, two, he truly wanted to help her. She sat there while he crouched in front of her, the two of them not saying a word for a long time. There was a long silence as she weighed her options. She could either stay where she was, run out of money, maybe find a job but that was unlikely, and hopefully get on her feet someday. Or she could trust this man and see if he offered to put her on her feet. What did she have to lose anyway? She had nothing, nothing to her name and nothing to her integrity. If this man decided to use her for his pleasure, at least it was a way of living._

" _Where is somewhere?" she finally said, her voice small._

 _The man smiled, his teeth white in the dark side street. "I own a nightclub called Midnite. I have many girls like you who works for me. Very beautiful, like you. Very needing of my help, like you," he pointed out. "Are you afraid of me?"_

 _She thought of his question, turning it over. She really didn't feel afraid of him. His energy wasn't frightening. He seemed genuine in his interest in her. And right now, he was right. She needed his help. If he owned a club, he would probably want her to work for him in his club. Whatever he saw in her, maybe she could fulfill his needs. If he needed her to work in his club, that was a job. Not really a job she thought to do, but as she thought about it, the more she began to like the idea. A club. She loved dancing. She had wanted to become a dancer ever since she was a child, but knew that that dream would never come true. She didn't have the means or the background to become a dancer. But here was this complete stranger offering her, hopefully, a job in his club as a dancer._

 _Whatever the job, he says that he has girls whom he has helped and he was offering that for her. What did she have to lose?_

" _No."_

 _The man smiled and stood, fixing his suit, and then looked down at her. "My name is Onigumo Matsumoto," he said, reaching out his hand towards her._

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

"Kagome…"

She snapped out of her thoughts, blinking to turn and look towards Ayumi. She was looking at her with concern.

"Everything okay?"

Kagome nodded, smiling apologetically. "Yeah. Sorry. I was just thinking about my past."

Ayumi and Midoriko exchanged a look but decided not to press on it. Whether or not Kagome wanted to share her past with them would be on her. They wouldn't bother or ask. It was an unspoken agreement with the women at Midnite.

"I think that after all this time with Onigumo," she said, making the girls exchange a shocked look, hoping Kagome would open up, "I've just become very complacent in my dreams." She remembered the first day she went onto that stage and felt like this was her dream come true. But she didn't know any better. She only knew what it felt like to be dancing in a gentlemen's club having rich men at her feet, their eyes hungrily drinking her body in, as she danced on that stage. Or to be like a mistress to them, servicing them and fulfilling their every desire, with limits, of course. For years, she thought that would be good enough for her. But she began to want something more. Something inside of her was desiring for something more. She needed more than just dancing on the stage in Midnite. She wanted to dance for more people. She wanted to dance in front of a huge audience where the world could see her skills and where she could make a name for herself. She wanted more.

"I never thought that I would ever want anything more than Midnite. I've been with him for so long that he is all I've ever known. He is my world."

"Hmmmm…" Midoriko said, brushing her hair back over her shoulder. "Have you and Onigumo ever hooked up?"

Kagome shook her head, chuckling. "No. Never. It wasn't like that between us. I mean, he rescued me from my past and he gave me a job. He gave me a future. I owe him everything."

Ayumi frowned. "You don't owe him anything, Kagome," she said sternly. She waited until Kagome looked at her, making sure that Kagome got what she was trying to say. "You don't owe Onigumo anything. You paid him back many times over. You've worked for him for nine years. Your debt to him is paid. And his business has grown since then and still is growing as more clients come just for you."

Kagome shook her head, hearing Ayumi but knowing that the girl just didn't understand what Onigumo did for her. "You guys don't understand. He saved me… I owe him my life. Without him…" She didn't want to think what her life might've been like if it wasn't for Onigumo finding her that day in the side street. If they hadn't met, who knows where she would've been today. One thing she did know. She wouldn't be a dancer in Kikyo's group heading off to Hawai'i in a couple weeks if she hadn't met Onigumo. So she had to count her blessings. Things were happening for her, no matter what happened in her past.

Midoriko sighed. "Well… if you feel like you owe him your life… that's something between you and Onigumo then."

"What do you think he's going to do about you being in the spotlight now?" Ayumi asked, curious. "And how do you feel about it?"

Kagome shrugged, dreading this question. "A part of me is super excited. I can't wait to be on that stage, dancing in front of hundreds of people. I've become good friends with the entire gang and I'm excited to be traveling with them to another country and just making new memories." Ayumi and Midoriko smiled with her, her excitement and joy contagious. But then Kagome sighed heavily and frowned, thinking about what could happen. "Another part of me is very scared."

"Why?" Midoriko asked, wondering what would bring this on.

Kagome looked up at the couple still under the Sakura tree. They were now packing up their belongings to leave. "I've been running from my past for so long that I'm afraid, now that I put myself out in the spotlight, that maybe…"

Ayumi frowned and turned to look out at Kagome's line of sight. She watched as the couple began to walk along the pathway, heading to some other destination. "You're running from someone," she said, understanding a lot more about Kagome now than she ever did.

There was a silence that stretched on between the three of them, no one wanting to confirm or deny the truth that lingered in the air. But it was clear that Midoriko and Ayumi now knew more about Kagome and understood more about why she was the way she was now that they figured out this revelation. Kagome was a very secretive person, more so than any of the girls at Midnite. And when Onigumo had brought Kagome in, Ayumi and Midoriko had already been working there for a while. They had embraced her and the three of them became good friends, on top of being Onigumo's top girls in the club. But they never really knew much about Kagome. She never shared much and Onigumo told them that it wasn't their business to know but if they wanted to know then they should ask her. They never did because they all had to respect each other's privacy. But Midoriko and Ayumi had been more open about their past than Kagome had been and today was a huge breakthrough.

"I'm afraid that if my face gets out there on billboards and on television that I might be found."

Midoriko turned with a frown, staring at Kagome sympathetically. "I thought you had said that it was in your contract that you wouldn't be put in the spotlight?"

Kagome shook her head. "No. My terms were that I wouldn't be used for any PR- so like billboards, interviews, television publicity, any music promotions… nothing. The only thing I would do were concerts which is where my skills would be best used." Kagome remembered the conversation she had when she was first hired. And several days later she had a rewritten contract Naraku had brought to her to sign with her terms clearly written out.

"Oh, I see," Ayumi said. "But you know there's no guarantee that you won't be noticed even at a concert."

"I know," she said, wondering what would happen. "I can only hope that things don't get out of control. But… it's the price that I'm willing to pay." She had to. She couldn't keep dreaming of being a dancer. She had to become one and to hell with what would happen. But she could at least try to minimize the damage by keeping her face off print and hope that concerts would still keep the damage under control a bit.

"You haven't told us this much about yourself before," Ayumi said with a small smile. She reached out and grabbed Kagome's hand, giving it a light squeeze.

"I didn't tell you I was running from someone," Kagome pointed out, now feeling very vulnerable.

Ayumi gave her a tolerant look. "I know." Ayumi released Kagome's hand and looked out at the empty Sakura tree where the couple once sat beneath. They were now off on their new adventure together. "You're not the only one who's running from their past."

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

"What is this place?" Kagome asked, walking besides Sango as they followed Miroku and Inuyasha towards the entrance of a warehouse building. The outside was like a normal warehouse, bare with only walls and a metal roof. But it was a big warehouse, about twenty minutes away from the academy and outside of the bustling streets of the city. Here, there were more warehouses and small businesses, not a lot of skyscrapers.

"This is where we come for photo shoots, CD promotions or to practice before a concert," Sango explained, turning to see Kagome taking it all in. "Kikyo owns this warehouse and whenever she has photo shoots for anything, she will tell the companies to come to her warehouse and setup their things, which is very convenient for her."

Miroku turned his head to look behind him at Kagome. "It's also where we come to when we are trying to figure out the group's placements on stage and the lighting."

Sango nodded. "The warehouse is decked out with all sorts of lights and equipment for her when she needs to practice and when we need to see how we might look on stage."

Kagome made an 'o' with her lips. "I get it. So you guys do sort of a mock performance in here."

"Yeah," Inuyasha said, chiming in. He didn't turn around to look at her, but reached out to open the heavy steel door to let everyone in. "It's helpful when we can't actually be in the venue to practice much. So we take the measurements we get from the venues and map it out on the floor to see how we will actually move around during the concert."

Sango led the way in and Kagome followed her, smiling at Inuyasha in thanks as she passed by. "Like Inuyasha said, it's helpful when we can't physically be in the venue until the day of. Sometimes, like with this concert, the venue isn't easily accessible so we have to work with what we have. We figured out early on that we needed a huge place to practice as if we were practicing in venues that were unaccessible until the concert date. So Kikyo bought this warehouse and fit it to her liking and just leaves everything setup for when we might need it."

Kagome nodded. "That's really cool." The more she understood about pop-stars and what they had to do and what they had to work with, she was starting to respect this industry a lot more. There was a lot more than just what fans saw on the stage. She was starting to see _how much more_ there was to it.

As they walked in, she took in the entire, open space. The walls of the warehouse were huge, towering above with metal bars on the ceiling. Lights were hooked up to some of the metal bars above, streaming down bright lights of all different colors. Some were on and some were off, but Kagome could see all the lights in the building, mainly in the center where she noticed all the people were.

There were more people here than she had ever seen before with the group. She noticed as people walked around with clipboards and hats on with headsets that these men and women were Kikyo's crew members. She followed Sango, taking in everything around her. In front of them where they were heading to, Kikyo stood in the middle of a huge white, sheet-covered floor. There were two of them, one big rectangle further from them and one small circle closer to them, the two stages connected by a strip of white sheet down the middle. Kikyo stood in the middle of the circle stage with bright lights from above only adding to the brightness around her. Everywhere around them was dark except for this one area that Kagome assumed was their stage area as it looked like a setup of the Blaisdell Center. There were more lights setup around the white sheets, more stage lights on stands that illuminated Kikyo. Kagome arched her eyebrows. Were all these lights really necessary?

"You guys are finally here," Kikyo called out, her voice echoing around them in the empty space. "What took you so long?" she said, her hands on her hips as a woman came up to her with a clipboard. Kikyo got distracted by her as the woman called her attention to something on the clipboard and the two of them began talking together.

Inuyasha just rolled his eyes. "Whatever…" he mumbled. Sango and Kagome stopped short of the stage where most of the gang were waiting. Some were on the ground stretching out and some were standing around, talking story until practiced started. Inuyasha and Miroku went straight towards the stage, making Kikyo and the woman look up at their approach.

"Where's Naraku?" Miroku asked, looking around at the crew.

"He's coming. I needed different layouts of the venues, especially Maui's one. I just don't want to miss anything," Kikyo said, looking towards the woman and nodding her head, clearly dismissing her. The woman left the stage.

"Are you ready to practice?" Inuyasha asked, watching as she looked up at him and crossed her arms. She had decided to wear high-rise black tights with a black top that stopped just below her breasts. Her hair was back in a ponytail and she had light makeup on, as she normally did when out in public. There were reporters everywhere and she never knew when her photo would be taken unexpectedly on the streets.

"We were waiting for you guys." She rolled her eyes. "Well… we're still waiting on Mai and Aiko. They both texted me to let me know they were stuck in traffic and should be here in five minutes."

Inuyasha nodded his head, remembering his phone had dinged in his pocket while they were driving here but he didn't bother to check it. He had just picked up Kagome from the academy, with Sango and Miroku already with him, and they had made their way here.

"So is this O'ahu's venue we're starting with?" he asked, looking around at the white sheet.

Kikyo nodded, her eyes following his line of sight. "Yeah. The crew set it up before I got here. This is the front stage," she motioned where they were standing, "and that's the runway with the main stage," she motioned with a wave, encompassing the entire white sheet in front of them towards the back. Inuyasha turned his back to the group and took in the entire stage.

"I like it," he said, nodding his head to himself and crossing his arms, deep in thought. "It's big."

Miroku nodded. "It is." He walked forward, going towards the runway to try it out himself. "It's wide enough where Kikyo won't fall, in case lighting is bad or fans try to reach up and grab her. But it's also wide enough where we can accompany her if we decide to." Inuyasha nodded his agreement.

"Sango!" Inuyasha called. Sango stopped talking with Kagome and excused herself, walking towards the three on stage. "What do you think?" he asked, wanting her opinion.

Sango looked around, already taking it in and listening to them while she was in conversation with Kagome about today's events. "I like it. Like you guys said, it's big enough for us to have freedom to decide what we want to do." Miroku turned around to smile adoringly at her. She smiled back with a wink.

"Okay," Inuyasha said, turning when he heard the front door open. He looked back to see Mai and Aiko walking in, his ears going up. "Perfect. Let's get started."

"Can we remove the sheets?" Miroku called, looking at the crew around them. There were about fifteen crew members standing around them, waiting to do their job. They had lighting, sound and stage crew. The stage crew moved up to pull the main stage sheets away first, sliding it along the ground to reveal the blue tape that they had placed on the floor to outline the edge of the stages. Inuyasha, Miroku and Kikyo walked up towards the main stage so that the crew could pull out the smaller stage's sheet and the runway.

The group all followed suit, trying to stay out of the way of the workers, letting them do their job while they did theirs. They all grouped up on the main stage, standing around Inuyasha, Miroku and Kikyo. Sango stayed with Kagome, wanting to make her feel comfortable and being supportive if she had any questions.

"You want to run through the routine? How do you want to do this?" Miroku asked, watching Inuyasha as he turned to look at the back of the main stage. He took a minute, digesting their work space, and turned around to face them.

"Let's dance the first routine. I'll do it with you guys the first time and then we'll do it again without me, just so I can see what everyone looks like." Miroku nodded his agreement and began to tell everyone to get in formation. Following Miroku's lead, they all filed up behind him, facing out towards the stage lights and the runway. Sango and Kagome came up to stand at the front. Miroku and Inuyasha stood in the middle while Kagome stood to Inuyasha's right and Sango to Miroku's left. The other eight stood staggered in two lines behind them

"I'll stand back and watch," Kikyo said, turning to walk down the runway to stand on the small stage. She crossed her arms and leaned to one leg, waiting for them to start. "Someone start the music." The sound crew turned the first song on, the sound blaring throughout the empty warehouse, and the dancers began to move to the beat. Kikyo watched every one of her dancers, making sure that everyone's timing was on so that they moved cohesively and to her liking.

The sound crew were all talking amongst each other and working with the equipment, making sure all the sound was just right so they knew how to adjust everything next month. While the music played, they did their job while the other crew members did theirs, fixing the lights to hit all of the dancers as they moved. The light was key to practicing here in the warehouse. With the stage lights available and all around, they could figure out the best lighting for each performance, whether it be a pure white light or a colored light. They had all the equipment they needed here along with the space.

Kikyo nodded her head, watching her top dancers all stepping and moving together. She was shocked as to how quickly Kagome had caught on to everything and how well she blended now, as if she had been with her group for years. True to her wanting to try out for this position and knowing the contract, she had learned all fifteen routines in three months and she even looked like she wasn't even the new blood. Kikyo smiled, watching in pride and admiration. Her dancers were all moving together. They had practiced hard, though they already knew the songs and the routines, moving in unison.

"Good!" Kikyo called as the last beat played and they all ended on their final move. "You guys were great," she said, the sound crew killing the song. "I'm really impressed how well you've done, Kagome," she said, knowing that her voice would carry even though she was further away from them.

Kagome smiled with a tilt to her head. "Thanks, Kikyo. I had good teachers." She looked over at Inuyasha, seeing him smirking at her. She smiled.

"How did that look, Kikyo?" Inuyasha asked, turning his attention out to her.

"I liked it. The lights hit you all just right."

Inuyasha nodded, moving out to the runway now, wanting to see it for himself. She might like it but he might not, which they have disagreed on things before, so he wanted to see what everyone looked like. "Play it again."

The song started back up again and the gang got into their spots, leaving an empty space for where Inuyasha was to stand. They all danced again, this time with Inuyasha standing on the runway and Kikyo on the smaller stage watching.

"Cut it!" Inuyasha called as the sound crew cut the music, stopping the dancers short. "I want this half," he said, gesturing with his right hand from Miroku to his left, "and this half," he said, where Kagome was and where he would be down to their right, "to move apart. So we'll split in half and move to the edge of the stage from the first verse into the chorus. Let's try it." The sound crew started the music from the beginning and Inuyasha nodded his head to the beat, watching the gang move apart at the specific time. He tilted his head, trying to figure out if he liked it. Now, there was a gap in the center of the stage, about the width of the runway, and he was picturing Kikyo being in the center by herself singing and dancing her part. The chorus was starting to come to a close.

"Go back to the your original spots into verse two!" he called out above the speakers, not wanting them to stop dancing.

Everyone heard and as the chorus began to close, they transitioned into the second verse, moving as much as they could with their feet movements back into their original spots, closing the gap. Inuyasha nodded slowly to himself, liking it. The song transitioned into the bridge and Inuyasha had an idea.

"Stop!" The music cut off. Inuyasha walked towards them. "Start from the beginning. This time, Kikyo, I'll be you," he said, getting into the spot where she would stand in front of the four leaders. He turned around to catch her eyes, watching her nod at him. He looked offstage at the sound crew and nodded. "Begin."

The song played from the beginning and they all started from the top. Inuyasha held a fake microphone in his hand while moving to Kikyo's choreography. While he danced, he tried to envision what she would do, what would make her stand out while the group did their thing. So he began to dance like he was her. Inuyasha had left some gaps in her routine to allow her freedom to move around and just sing to her fans, grab their hands for the VIP fans, and catch her breath if she needed before she would have to dance again. He moved to the left of the stage, looking out ahead at the opposite wall of the warehouse as if there were a crowd of people gathered there. He sang the chorus, not even worrying about her moves, moving from the left side of the stage to the right, giving both sides about the same amount of time. As the next verse started, he walked back to the center of the stage just as the group began to come back in together. Then he called Miroku up.

"Miroku! Follow me up to the front stage!"

Miroku fell out of step and began to skip forward, keeping with the beat of the song but now free-styling and dancing as if there were fans cheering at his feet. Inuyasha skipped forward, dancing and moving his lips, watching as Kikyo got off the smaller stage as he made his way where she had been standing.

The song continued into the chorus and Inuyasha heard Sango call out to the group to move apart again. He stopped dancing and turned around, needing to see how everyone looked. Miroku was dancing his part, facing Inuyasha, that matched the others right behind him.

"Face out," Inuyasha instructed, watching as Miroku nodded and easily flowed his moves so that he was now facing the left side of the stage, keeping Inuyasha at his back. Inuyasha nodded and looked at everyone else on the back stage. They were now apart from each other again on either side of stage, all moving together cohesively. This time, since Miroku and Inuyasha would be up on the stage with Kikyo, the back stage had Kagome in front of four of the others and Sango in front of the other four dancers. He liked it, smiling with a nod. As the song went into the bridge, Inuyasha walked down the runway, staying on it to walk back and forth, lip-singing out to the crowd, making sure he turned around to give both sides his attention. Finally, the song went back into the chorus and he decided to end back with the group.

"Stay there, Miroku!" he called behind his back as he walked down the runway, his eyes watching the others who were still dancing apart. He didn't like it. "Let's end together!"

Sango nodded her understanding and turned to see Kagome look at her for confirmation. She nodded her head and the two of them transitioned their moves back into the middle of the stage where they originally started. Kagome watched Sango every so often to make sure she was doing the right thing. The others followed their lead, making sure that they lined Sango and Kagome up in between the four of them the entire time. As Inuyasha made his way back towards the group, he knew that the middle would look too open with him and Miroku gone.

"Come to our spots," he said, making eye contact with Kagome and Sango and motioning with his hands to move in closer.

Sango nodded, looking over at Kagome to see that she was moving where Inuyasha would have been standing. She did the same for Miroku's place. Inuyasha looked at them and nodded, standing in front of them where he had originally started at the beginning of the song. He got into his position as the song began to close and he posed for Kikyo's final part. The room went silent.

"I liked it!" Kikyo called, her excitement in her voice breaking everyone's pose. They all began to relax and shake off the adrenaline, moving their muscles out. She stepped back into the smaller stage and looked at Miroku. "I don't know how you guys are going to transition into the next song though."

Miroku shook his head. "The next song is 'Sunshine'. I'm sure Inuyasha and I can find our way back to our spots easy enough."

Inuyasha nodded his head, crossing his arms over his chest. "We'll do it. But before that, I want some mirrors so we can all see ourselves." The crew heard him and began to grab the mirrors. They had seven foot high mirrors welded into place on dollies that were set up at the sides of the room for when they needed to see themselves while practicing. It was easier to see themselves at the academy with the walls being mirrors, so Inuyasha decided to create the same environment here. They began to wheel the dollies over and turn them to face the dancers as if they were the audience now behind the stage lights. There were small gaps between the mirrors so that they weren't touching each other, giving the crew ability to come in and out to see what needed changing.

"Good," Inuyasha said, nodding to the crew, "Thanks."

Miroku was closest to the mirrors and looked at everyone's reflection. "We wanna run through it again? This time with Kikyo?"

"Yeah."

Some were getting a drink from their hydroflasks while others were stretching out while the crew had moved the mirrors over. So everyone began to file back into place while Inuyasha and Miroku got back to their spots at the back stage. Kikyo made her way to the front of them, all of them getting ready for their cue. Kikyo made eye contact with the sound crew and nodded her head.

The beat began to play again. Everyone began to nod their heads to the beat, waiting to start. Then, they began to move. Kikyo actually sang this time, getting in the mood and feeling the vibe from everyone. She held up her invisible microphone and sang along with her song as if she was doing karaoke. She tried to remember how Inuyasha did her part but she knew that he gave her freedom to dance her choreography or to just sing and interact with her fans. So she did just that. As the song went into the first chorus, she moved out to the side of the stage, just as everyone else began to spread apart. She looked at the mirrors to see how everyone looked, cohesive and in unison, making her like the way Inuyasha thought. She moved to the opposite side of the stage, pretending to sing to her fans. She started to realize that if she had danced her entire routine for the first verse, she would've been too tired to sing the chorus and move back and forth along the stage.

As the chorus began to come to an end, Kikyo began to walk backwards towards the center of the stage, standing between Miroku and Inuyasha. The mirrors up front really helped her to see where to go and where to stand, which she knew were the purposes of tapes on stage for all of them to know their places. The second verse came on and Kikyo moved up, walking down the runway and singing.

"How long do I have?" she called out.

"The entire second verse," Inuyasha said. "Miroku and I need to be up there by the start of the chorus."

Kikyo nodded, keeping her eyes ahead at their reflections, as she kept walking towards the smaller stage. She sang and put some hips and hand gestures into her moves. Her eyes went to the back quickly, making sure everyone was still doing their part on the back stage, and then she focused on herself. She made her way to the small stage and stopped in the center, watching on both sides of her as Inuyasha and Miroku came up on either side. They faced out so she was able to only see their backs, but they never lost a step. She smiled and kept on singing, loving how her crew was so professional and so good at what they do. She didn't have to yell at them or wait for them to figure things out. They all caught on fast, which she appreciated about their talent.

The bridge came on and Kikyo looked to Inuyasha, forgetting her part. He noticed she was still on the smaller stage with them in the mirror and he looked at her reflection.

"The runway. Stay there until the last chorus."

She nodded, now remembering, and began to walk down the runway. She made her way up and down, pretending that people were down below her, even though there was no drop down. When she would walk up, she would look at everyone's reflections in the mirror to make sure they were doing what they were supposed to be doing. Then, the chorus came on and she began to walk back down towards the back stage. She looked at all of her dancers as they came back together, Kagome and Sango coming closer together than how they began. Then, she made her way to stand in between them, in front, and turned out to face the mirrors. Her final line came and she made her pose, the building ending in silence.

Inuyasha clapped, making Miroku do the same to encourage the group. "Good job everyone," Inuyasha said with a smile. "That was good for a first run-through." Miroku nodded his agreement as the others smiled and nodded, giving each other high-fives.

Kagome was stoked. As a first timer, she was getting praised and she had caught on quickly to what the changes were as Inuyasha called them out. She had to keep her eye on Sango sometimes since she was felt the pressure of leading the group behind her. But she did her best and in her opinion, when she watched their movements in the mirrors, she thought she did a good job and kept up with Sango. Kagome was so happy and excited, feeling the adrenaline flood her body. It was surreal.

"Let's do the next one," Kikyo said, wanting to get back to work. "Take a quick 3-minute. Then, we'll get back into it."

The others moved out of formation and went for their things on the other side of the tape, 'off-stage'. Kagome had learned early on that she needed to always bring a towel for her sweat, extra clothes just in case with a towel to bathe, and water. The academy always had water fountains so they could refill their water. Here, she noticed there was a water dispenser near the bathrooms that had lights above to illuminate the men's and women's.

Kagome went to her things and dropped to her knees, stretching out her quads.

"How'd you like it?" Sango asked, dropping to her butt to stretch her legs out. She reached for her toes but kept her eyes on Kagome.

She smiled. "I liked it. I was surprised at how well I caught on and just kept making sure I was in step with you," she said, wiping the sweat from her face.

Sango nodded with a smile. "Yeah, I saw that. You did really well, Kagome."

"Yeah," Miroku said, coming to stand by them. He sat down next to Sango and crossed his legs, regarding the both of them. "Both of you did good," he said, making Sango reach out to pat his knee appreciatively, "and I'm surprised at how well you did, Kagome. You didn't miss a beat."

Kagome flushed and shrugged. "I tried to just feel the music and follow Sango."

Sango brushed her off. "You didn't even have to look at me. You did great on your own."

"You did, Kagome," Inuyasha said, coming to join them. He didn't sit down, but he did stand behind Miroku, looking down at Sango and Kagome. "You guys led the others well. And you were all in sync. That's a gift only some dancers have. Especially if they're new to dancing."

Miroku nodded his agreement. "These next two weeks are brutal. We have to really refine our routines, transitions into the next song and transitions on and off the stage. These two weeks are going to be the hardest of the last three months you've been with us."

Sango nodded empathetically. "Miroku's right. This is the time we all dread- a month before the concert. Sometimes we plan to practice here a month before, as in a month before we fly out, not a month before the concert date. But this time… our costumes weren't ready for us until now so we're finally here. We have half a month to get all of our transitions down on two stages, different sizes, and all be in sync."

"The crew normally leaves a month away from the concert date, but not this time," Miroku explained. "They'll leave next week, once they have a good feel as to where we'll be standing, how Kikyo and Inuyasha wants the lighting and all that. Then, the lighting, the stage, the backstage, the sound and the security crews will all fly out to the first venue to prep according to our specs. They have to get both venues done in less than three weeks. Because when we get there, we're going to have one day, if that, to run through all our routines at the Blaisdell."

"Wait, one day?" Kagome asked, shocked. Inuyasha nodded and squatted next to Miroku, getting a little more eye-level with them.

"We'll go over the itinerary later but we leave Japan Friday night and get in Friday morning. It's an eight hour flight so we should all be sleeping because once we land, he head off to practice." Inuyasha turned to look at Miroku and Sango. "We'll be practicing jet-lag."

Sango groaned, knowing how fun that was, and shook her head. "That sucks!"

"What's the time difference?" Kagome asked, now thinking she should've done more research on this trip, like the flights, the time difference and the shopping. She really wasn't ready for Hawai'i, but she was more excited to go for work and dance in front of thousands of people than sightseeing at this point.

"We're 19 hours ahead of Hawai'i," Miroku explained. "Basically we'll be going back in time, which shouldn't be too bad, I think. But the sleep on the plane should help since we land and head straight to the venue."

"We only have Friday and Saturday before the show to make sure we got everything down for Saturday night," Sango said.

"It sucks because we're used to having the venue available to us so that we have time to practice on the stage," Inuyasha said. She looked at him and could tell that he was a bit irritated but there was no anger in his voice. There was nothing that could be done about it.

Kikyo clapped, catching everyone's attention. "Okay, everyone. Let's start the second song!"

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

The sun set as Kagome walked out of the warehouse. She was exhausted and hungry, her body ached and her muscles hurt. _'I need a nice soak when I get home.'_ She could already feel her body craving hot water and lavender oil. Kagome closed her eyes with a sigh, feeling the warm touch of the setting sun on her skin.

"What's up with you?"

She opened her eyes and looked to see Inuyasha standing next to her. His hair was still braided back and his black tank-top made him look gorgeous in the light of the setting sun.

Kagome blushed, looking away from him. _'What the hell, Kagome! You need to get a grip.'_ "It's nothing. Just hungry and tired, that's all," she said, avoiding his eyes.

Inuyasha smirked, looking ahead at the sunset. "Yeah, me too." He liked seeing her like this, shy and vulnerable. He remembered the first time they ate at Yura Yura together, just the two of them, and that was a day he enjoyed because he was able to be alone with her and get to know her. It had been just the two of them, having a conversation about something and yet nothing. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he was starting to like Kagome, something that was totally against his nature and against everything he thought would happen in his life.

"You want to grab something to eat?" Kagome asked, recomposing herself and turning to see him look at her with wonder. "You know any places around that make good food?"

Inuyasha arched his eyebrow with a smile. "There's lots of places around here that's good to eat. What are you hungry for?" he asked, shifting his duffle bag strap on his shoulder and urging her forward. Kagome followed close behind him, doing the same with her duffle bag.

"Whatever. After this, I'm going home for a nice soak in a hot bath. So maybe something small and fast."

"McDonald's?" he asked, turning to see her face. She looked at him with exasperation. Inuyasha laughed, waving her off. "Okay then. Let's go get some gyoza. I'm sure we can find some in the marketplace around the block."

Kagome nodded her head and followed him to his car. The sun had already set and the sky was turning a beautiful hue of colors, purple and pink. Inuyasha grabbed her duffle bag from her and threw their bags into the trunk of his car. She turned around to get one last glimpse of the sunset, smiling as she took a deep breath, feeling joy.

"You like the sunset?" Inuyasha asked, sensing her happiness, noticing the way she looked out at the horizon. Even though there were buildings around, they could still get a glimpse of the horizon since they were twenty minutes outside of the bustling city. He watched her as she looked ahead and noticed her soft features, the way her eyes softened and her smile was tender. For a moment, he forgot that she was his employee and just thought of her as an ordinary female.

"I do. More than sunrises."

Inuyasha looked out at the different colors, trying to see the sky differently. He was never one to notice the way nature changed. He had seen nature change over a century of living and after a while, it became something he dismissed. Humans changed, either a single human going through changes in life or the entire species changing through a century, they all evolved. But he didn't really take the time to notice the simplest things, like the sunset.

"I love the way the sky changes color. It reminds me that no matter how bad my day went, I always have tomorrow to look forward to. And that makes me happy. To know that I'm still here, that I can see such beautiful colors. It makes me happy."

Inuyasha blinked, shocked, and turned to look at Kagome. He could sense her sadness but her voice sounded happy, like she was trying to chase away her sadness with words that could chase away what was happening around her. He wondered what it was about her that got him so hooked, that made him want to find out why she seemed so sad, why he even cared. But it was her. It was Kagome that he was interested in, the way she smelled, the way she danced, the way she laughed and smiled, he wanted to know more about her and to get close to her.

Kagome turned to see Inuyasha gazing at her intently, making her blush. "Inu… yasha? Are you okay? Did I say too much?" She didn't want him to ask too many questions. She didn't want to tell him about her past or why she thought the way she did.

"Nothing," he said, turning back to his car to shut the trunk. "We should go get something to eat so you can go home and take a bath. Sango and Miroku are catching a ride with Shippo," changing the subject.

She smiled, looking at the back of his head. _'Thank you.'_ She hoped that one day she would be able to tell him more about herself. Just never about who she was and what happened to her when she was younger. There are some things in people's lives that are best kept a secret.

The two of them walked the next block over to a marketplace that took up two blocks. There were vendors on both sides of the narrow streets selling all sorts of food. Inuyasha and Kagome found themselves grabbing gyoza and tempura, then they made their way back to the warehouse. By the time they returned, all the cars were gone, everyone had gone home. The street lamps were on, making Kagome realize how late it was.

"You okay?" Inuyasha asked, leading them towards the side of the warehouse. They had a couple of picnic benches setup on the side of the warehouse for lunch breaks when everyone wanted to go outside and have a bite to eat or talk story. And it was on the side of the building that faced the sunset so sometimes the gang would sit around and talk for a bit after practice while watching the sunset.

"I'm okay. Just realized how late it is."

"You want me to take you home?"

Kagome followed him to the picnic benches and sat down across from him, shaking her head. "No. It's fine. I'm hungry too."

Inuyasha nodded and sat, opening up his bento boxes just as Kagome opened hers. The two of them thanked each other for the food and began to eat.

"Mmmmm," Kagome said, closing her eyes as she took a bite into the gyoza, "this is so good. I don't know if it's because I'm starving or because it really is the best gyoza in the world. But it's so good."

Inuyasha arched his eyebrow and chuckled. "I don't think it's the best. I think you're starving."

She looked at him with a smile. "Okay. Okay."

The two of them sat in silence for a bit, eating their dinners, trying to figure out what small talk to bring up. Kagome was unsure of what to say. When they were working together, she didn't have to talk much. She only had to focus on work, which meant his body, which meant reigning in her emotions for him physically. She still thought he was handsome, sexy and hot- like most of the population of women. Then there were times like this, when it was just the two of them, which wasn't very often, but when they were alone like this, she felt like she had to talk. Not because she had to but because she wanted to. She wanted to know more about him, for him to know more about her. She felt safe with him, and she didn't want to question too much of the 'why'. She realized that she was beginning to like him and she has been trying her best to not make her affections seem obvious.

"Are you excited about the concert? It'll be your first time," Inuyasha asked, breaking the silence. He was finished with his gyoza and had moved on to his shrimp tempura. Kagome looked up and smiled at him, nodding her head.

"Yes. I'm excited to go back to Hawai'i too."

Inuyasha's eyebrows went up. "You've been there before, right?"

She nodded. "Yes. I went a few years ago. I needed to get away and I just decided to go to Hawai'i for a couple weeks."

"Do you travel much?"

"Not much honestly. That was my first time out of the country." She placed her chopsticks down, finishing half of both her bentos, and now losing her appetite. She frowned, not wanting to talk about it. "I went to Maui. It's a beautiful island."

He sensed her mood change the moment it happened, but she hid it well. He watched as she slowly put her chopsticks down and put her bento lids back on, stacking one on top of the other, and setting her chopsticks on the top.

"Full?"

Kagome nodded, looking up at him. "I think my eyes were bigger than my stomach," she admitted, her heart racing. He knew it, she was lying. He frowned and watched her, her eyes turning away from him to look out at the buildings where the sun had fallen. Looking at her face in profile she was beautiful, the way her hair fell over her shoulders, the softness of her skin that he wanted to touch. And then, he remembered the way she felt about others touching her, more like when men touched her. She seemed fine with women, at least it took her a little while to get comfortable with the females in their group touching her. He had watched the way she interacted with the gang, the way Sango would always touch her arm or shoulder and she would freeze almost subtly, but then relax a second later, as if her initial reaction was automatic. But he noticed. He noticed the way she remained quiet most of the time, just listening to the women chatter about endless things and she would just sit there and smile, not saying much, or maybe not _wanting_ to say much. Whatever it was, he had watched her meticulously over the past two months and he found himself wanting to know everything about her. He wanted to see her smile, though she did smile, but not very often. He wanted to know why she was always so aloof.

"You're lying."

Kagome flinched, refusing to look at him. He was a hanyou. She couldn't hide things from him. Even though she didn't know the extent of his abilities, she knew that if he said he could sense something, he meant it. Who was she to question him?

"I'm tired."

"Kagome… why don't you open up with everyone?"

There. He said it. Now it was up to her whether or not she would open up to him. He hoped she would.

"Inuyasha… do I seem that odd to you?"

His ears twitched, tuning to the sadness in her voice. Her face was stoic, reminding him of his brother. Even though he heard sadness, she showed none of it on her face. He frowned, placing his chopsticks in one of the bentos and regarded her seriously.

"I can tell that you don't talk much about yourself. You always seem to shy away when people ask you about things."

Kagome smiled, closing her eyes. "Of course you noticed," she whispered, though she knew he heard her. "I've been here for only two months, Inuyasha. I'm still getting to know everyone."

"That's not the real reason. The others opened up much faster than you are. I know it's something more," he said, gazing at her intently. "You just don't want to share it with anyone. Why?"

She opened her eyes to look at him. Inuyasha frowned, seeing the sadness in her blue eyes while she smiled at him, trying to reassure him. "There's a lot about me that people don't know, not even my friends."

"Do you even have friends?"

She flinched, his words struck a cord. He felt bad the second he said it, not meaning it that way, and reached out to grab her hand to apologize. But she snatched her hand out of his reach and placed them on her lap.

"I should go." She stood up to leave, grabbing her bentos in the process.

Inuyasha was fast, reaching out to grab her wrist, making Kagome stop as she stood there, looking down at him. He looked at her with such intensity that it made her heart skip. _'What do you want, Inuyasha?'_ She wanted to scream at him to leave her alone. She wanted to scream at him to ask her about her past. She wanted to run away and run to him all at the same time. What was wrong with her?

"I need to go, Inuyasha," she said, choking back her tears. She was so confused with herself and so emotionally drained at fighting with herself that she needed to get away from him. She needed to think.

Inuyasha didn't release her, but stood up slowly, having to make her now look up at him. They stood there, both looking like they were ready to go to battle with each other and yet both looking like they were so far from each other even though he held onto her. Inuyasha couldn't understand her, and even though he was trying, she didn't seem to want to open herself up to him. Even in moments like this, when it was just the two of them, he wanted her to open up to him and let her guard down. But the more her guard went down, the more she emotionally closed up. It had the opposite effect he wanted.

After a long pause, Inuyasha released her wrist, looking down to grab his bentos. "I'll take you home."

She shook her head. "No. I'll catch the train."

"I'm taking you home."

There was finality in his voice, as if he left no room for argument. Kagome watched as he went to throw his food away, frowning at his tone. She had done that. She had broken the good mood they both had together at the beginning and now ended their night horribly. What had gone wrong? Was she really that horrible of a person? Kagome grabbed her bentos and began to follow him back to his car in silence. She stayed a few steps back from him, giving him the space he needed. Or maybe she needed. She didn't want to push things any further. He was her boss. He was also someone she liked and wanted to tell him everything about her. But that frightened her the most. The fact that she wanted to tell someone everything about herself, and being rejected by the very one whom she wanted in her life. That was why she felt this way, there was something to lose and to gain. As much as she tried to separate business and personal life, it was a losing battle when it came to Inuyasha and her feelings for him. She wanted him to know and feared him knowing.

"Inuyasha…" she said as they got to his car. She stopped at his trunk as he went straight to the passenger door and used his FOB to open the doors. The blinkers flashed, signaling the car opened, and he opened her door for her. He gazed at her with such intensity that she had to steel her nerves to face him. "Please, let me take the train home."

He shook his head. "Get in, Kagome."

She frowned, standing her ground. "I can get home by myself, thank you." This time, she put steel in her voice, allowing her anger to chase away her unstable emotions. Anger was good.

"Kagome, get in the damn car."

She glared at him, feeding off his anger and irritation. "No. I'm taking the train home. Open your trunk. I need my bag."

"For crying out loud… if you don't get in this car, I'll put you in here and strap you in myself kicking and screaming," he said, glaring at her. The two of them glared at each other, the strength of wills now being the test. Kagome couldn't believe how fast their night had changed. Now, here they were, fighting over him taking her home. But the thing was, she didn't want him to know where she lived. She didn't like anyone knowing where she lived. Even her address on her application was false.

"No."

Inuyasha glared and released the car door, walking over to her. He reached out to grab her, intending to put her in the car, and watched as her eyes flew wide and she took a step back away from him. Suddenly, everything changed. Kagome looked like she was ready to run, like a deer in headlights, waiting to see what the predator would do. He stopped short, watching her stare at him with fear in her eyes. He'd seen that fear before, many times.

"Kagome…" he said softly. _'What happened?'_ What brought on this sudden change in her? She seemed frightened. _'Of me?'_ Inuyasha placed his hands on his hips, containing his anger. He was pissed, confused and wanted answers that she obviously wasn't going to tell him. One minute she was sad, the next she was angry at him, and the next she was afraid of him. He gave up. If she didn't want to tell him, he couldn't force her to tell him things that she obviously didn't want him to know about. And if she didn't want him to take her home, he couldn't force her to get in his car as much as he wanted her to.

"Fine." He used his FOB to pop the trunk open and it clicked, going up slowly on its own. "Get your things."

Kagome swallowed hard and took a breath, calming her pounding heart. She stared at him, his face unreadable now. Whatever he was thinking, he wasn't going to say anything more. She was grateful and hurt. _'I'm the one who did this. How did this night go so wrong?'_ Kagome frowned, walking forward to grab her duffle bag. When she placed the strap over her shoulder, she moved back to thank him, but he turned around to shut the trunk and walked over to close his passenger door.

"The train station is a fifteen minute walk from here," he said, walking around the front of the car, not looking at her. "Go south. You'll see some signs for the train station. Follow that." Inuyasha opened the driver's door and got in without another word. He shut the door and turned his car on, driving straight out of the parking stall, frustrated and angry as hell. How did this night go so wrong? They were having a good time, grabbing a bite to eat and then small talk which led to serious emotions that led to a shutdown and a mixup of emotions. And here he was, leaving her alone in an empty parking lot. As Inuyasha looked back in his rearview mirror, Kagome's lone figure stood in the same place, watching him drive away. He tore his gaze from her and signaled his turn, turning out onto the main road to head back home.

"How did this night go so wrong?" Kagome whispered, watching as Inuyasha's car sped onto the main road and back into the bustling city.

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

"It's time to board!"

Kagome turned around to see Sango and Miroku coming up to her. She was sitting in the coffee shop in the terminal, waiting to hear on the speakers for her flight number to be called to signal they were boarding. Much to Kagome's surprise, they were flying a commercial flight. For some reason, she thought that rich people, including a pop-star, always flew in private jets or stayed in hotel suites. But after receiving their itineraries, Kagome was shocked and pleased to see that they were flying on Hawaiian Airlines, in comfort seats, and they were staying in kingsize bedrooms by themselves so they wouldn't have to share with someone. Miroku and Sango would share one room, but everyone else had their own room and their own bed. She was glad she didn't have to share with anyone. She needed her privacy and her space.

"I didn't hear the announcement," she said as Sango and Miroku came near. Just then, the speakers beeped and a robotic voice came on, announcing their flight number and that first class passengers would board first.

"Oh," Kagome said with a smile, grabbing her purse and coffee cup. She looked back out the window at all the airplanes sitting and waiting to take people within them to another city, country, continent. "Let's go."

The three of them made their way back to their gate where the gang were sitting and standing around each other, waiting for their seats to be called. Kagome had to steel her nerves. This past two weeks had been rough. Ever since she and Inuyasha got into it that night, their relationship has been strained, even professionally. He didn't talk to her as much, let alone look at her unless he absolutely had to talk to her about something to do with work. Most of the time they talked to each other in a group setting and that was easy for them to avoid eye contact, which only made it more clear that he didn't want to talk to her. Strictly business. No more getting to know one another, since she made it so clear that night that she didn't want to tell him anymore about herself. _'It's best this way… he doesn't have to know.'_

"Go on ahead, Miroku," Sango said, pushing him ahead as she stopped and grabbed Kagome's arm that wasn't holding her coffee, snapping her out of her thoughts. She waited until Kagome looked at her and waited even longer so that Kagome knew that she was serious. "What's going on with you and Inuyasha?"

Kagome frowned and looked away from her, not wanting to tell Sango.

"Tell me, Kagome. I know something's wrong. You guys have been acting strange around each other for the past two weeks. I want to know what happened. Did he say something to you?" Kagome remained silent but shook her head, giving that much to Sango. "Tell me, Kagome. What happened?" she pleaded. She knew that Kagome and Inuyasha had something between them. It was obvious to her since Inuyasha had been her friend for years and she had never seen him interested in a woman before, at least not in the way he had been interested in Kagome. It wasn't about the sex. The way he danced with her and talked with her, Sango knew that there was something blooming between them. But that all died two weeks ago. Even Miroku noticed it and wasn't able to get anything out of Inuyasha but a gruff reply for Miroku to drop it.

"Please, Kagome," Sango said, looking at the gate to see that Inuyasha and Kikyo were now looking their way. She saw Inuyasha look at Kagome and then turn around. "Kagome…" Sango said, looking back her. "Tell me what happened. Did he do something to you?"

Kagome sighed, knowing that Sango wasn't going to drop it. And thankfully, she wasn't sitting next to Sango on the plane since she was sitting beside Miroku. She was sitting next to Shiori, but Sango wasn't going to drop it and she was afraid of a long plane ride with Sango bothering her the whole way.

"I don't know, Sango. I think he wanted to hear something that I wasn't able to tell him." Like why she went to Hawai'i. He never asked that specific question, but that was what saddened her, and changed the entire mood of the night. They had gone from a beautiful sunset to arguing about him taking her home. There were things unspoken between them that night, like why she enjoyed watching the sunset so much or why she went to Hawai'i to begin with. Even though he didn't ask them out loud, she felt the overwhelming sadness of not being able to tell him when she was starting to connect with him. There was so much that she wanted to say and so much that she couldn't say.

"You wasn't able tell him? Like… your past?"

Kagome nodded, turning to look back at Sango. She released her arm, frowning as she regarded Kagome. "I think he's starting to realize that I'm just not someone who will talk about myself and my past like that. I think he's starting to see that he shouldn't waste his time becoming my friend."

"Oh shut up," Sango said, turning to place her hands on her hips, looking away from Kagome. "I don't want to hear you say things like that about yourself, Kagome. I'm your friend. You have friends here. And we're not wasting our time being your friend."

Kagome smiled sadly, feeling her eyes sting with tears. She would not cry. She had been in such an emotional rollercoaster ride for the past two weeks, feeling sorry for herself and then berating herself, telling herself that this was for the better. No one could know about her past. And yet, here was Inuyasha, someone who she wanted to confide in and knew that she couldn't if she wanted to protect him and herself.

"Please drop it, Sango. I really don't want to talk about it. I think… I think I might cry, and I don't like to cry in public."

Sango looked back at her with a frown. She sighed, resigning. "Fine. But when we get to Hawai'i, you're going to forget about all this and put on a good show. The day we land will be busy. It's the day before the concert," she reminded, sounding as serious as she could. If Kagome didn't want to be personal, then they would be professional.

"I know." She knew the agenda. She had her itinerary. She had prepared for this day for the past three months. She got her nails done, retouched the blue streaks in her hair, got a wax, she was prepared for this big day when she would finally dance professionally. She was ready. Whatever happened between herself and Inuyasha would have to wait until she came back to Japan. For now, he was her boss. Nothing more. They would figure it out when they got back.

As Kagome looked at the gate, the speakers beeped again, making the announcement that the next set of passengers seated in the comfort seats would be able to board. Kagome sighed, looking over to where everyone in the group began to stand. She saw smiles on their faces, excitement poured off of them in waves and she could feel it from here. Just then, her eyes fell on Inuyasha, catching his golden eyes watching her. The two of them stared at each other for a long time, both of them trying to gauge what the other was thinking. Kagome frowned, biting her bottom lip, and was the first to look away. She looked for Sango and found her making her way to stand next to Inuyasha, catching his attention as he began to talk to her, a scowl on his face. _'Yes… we'll figure it out when we get back.'_


End file.
